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SACRED HISTORY, f'f g 




1 V) 1 V D * & J - SADLIER &Co.,81 Barclay-St.; 
| I Boston, 128Federal-St.; Montreal, 



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Anna's Offebing or Samuel. 



Adopted by the Provincial of the Christian Brothers, for use 
. in the Schools under his charge. 



NEW CATECHISM 



OF 



SACKED HISTOKY; 



FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS 






BY MRS. J. SADLIER. 



NEW YORK: 
D. & J. SADLIER & CO., 31 BARCLAY-STREET ; 

Boston, 128 Federal-Street ; Montreal, Corner Notre 
Dame and St Francis Xavier Streets. 

1866. 



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SG4 



Intered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864, by 
JAMES SADLIEE, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for th« 
Southern District of New York. 



ELROTROTYPKD BY 
MITH & MODOUGAL, 

82 Beekman-st. t N. T. 






PREFACE. 

The Catechism of Sacred History now presented 
to the Catholic public will be found, it is hoped, a 
useful little book for the lower classes in Catholic 
schools. There were, it is true, other Catechisms of 
Sacred History in use in our schools, but none of them 
answered exactly the purpose for which this was 
intended, some being too large, and too elaborate for 
junior classes, whilst others had the answers entirely 
too long, so as to fatigue the memory of the young 
learner. The Catechism now offered has been care- 
fully compiled from authentic sources, and has been 
made as complete a compendium of Sacred History, 
\nd in as simple a form, as could well be effected. It 

ill be see., that, in order to complete the history of 
.he New Testament, a short account of the labors and 
death of the several apostles has been added to the 
Scriptural narrative, so as to bring out more fully and 
more clearly the connection between ancient Sacred 
History, as contained in the Bible, and modern Sacred 
History, which is that of the Church, commonly called 
Ecclesiastical History. 

New York, June 22d, 1864. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 



Q. What is Sacred History ? 

A. Sacred History is the history of our Religion. 

Q. What does Sacred History teach us ? 
A. Sacred History teaches us the greatness of God, 
and the wonders He has wrought for us. 

Q. In what book are these wonders recorded ? 

A. In the Bible, the most ancient book in the world. 

Q. What does God show us in the Bible ? 

A. God shows us in the Bible, in a manner equally 
plain and certain, what He is, what we are, and for 
what He has created us. 

Q. What advantages has Sacred History over Profane History ? 
A. Sacred History has two great advantages over 
Profane History — its certainty, and its antiquity. 

Q. In what does the certainty of Sacred History consist ? 

A. The certainty of Sacred History consists in that 
it has been written by Prophets and other holy men in- 
spired of God. 

Q. In what does the antiquity of Sacred History consist? 

A. The antiquity of Sacred History consists in its 
having been written at a much earlier period than any 
other history. 



10 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. How do you prove the antiquity of Sacred History ? 

A. Because Moses, who was the author of the first 
books of Sacred History, lived a thousand years before 
Herodotus, the first writer of Profane History. 

Q. What do you understand by the terms, Old and New Tes- 
tament ? 

A. By the Old Testament, I understand the coven- 
ant which God made of old with the Israelites, in giv- 
ing them the law of Moses. By the New Testament, 
I understand the covenant which Jesus Christ has made, 
not with one people alone, but with all mankind, in 
giving them the Gospel Law. 

Q. What do these two Testaments together form ? 
A. These two Testaments together form the Bible, 
the most sacred, as it is the most ancient of books. 



THE OLD TESTAMENT. 

FIRST EPOCH, 

EMBRACING 1656 YEARS. 

Q. How did God create the world ? 
A. God created the world of nothing, and by His 
word alone. 

Q. In what space of time did God create the world ? 
A God created the world in six days. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 11 

Q. "What did God create the first day ? 
A. The first day God created light; he said: let 
there be light, and immediately light was made. 

Q. "What did God make the second day ? 
A. The second day God made the sky, or firmament, 
to which he gave the name of heaven. 

Q. What did God do on the third day ? 

A. On the third day, he gathered into one place the 
waters that covered the earth, and this great collection 
of waters he called the sea. He then commanded the 
earth to yield plants and trees of every kind. 

Q. "What did God make on the fourth day ? 
A. On the fourth day he made the sun and moon, 
and all the stars of the firmament. 

Q. What did God create on the fifth day ? 
A. On the fifth day, God created the birds that fly 
in the air, and the fishes that swim in the water. 

Q. What did God make on the sixth day ? 

A. On the sixth day, after having created the beasts 
of the earth, God made Adam, the first man, after his 
own image and likeness, and he gave him dominion 
over the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and 
the fishes of the sea. 

Q. How did God create man ? 

A. God created man by forming his body of the 
slime of the earth ; his soul he created by breathing 
into his nostrils, and he became a living soul. 

Q. What is a living soul ? 

A. A being capable of knowing and loving God. 



12 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. Did God create, at that time, any other rational being 
besides Adam ? 

A. Yes, God wishing to give Adam a companion, 
like unto himself, formed Eve, the first woman, and 
mother of all mankind, of a rib taken from the side of 
Adam, during a deep sleep which the Lord cast upon 
him. 

Q. In what state were Adam and Eve created ? 

A. They were created in a state of innocence, and 
placed in a delightful garden called the Terrestrial 
Paradise. 

Q. Bid they remain always there ? 

A. No, they soon forfeited their right to dwell 
therein, and were ignominously expelled from it. 

Q. How did Adam and Eve forfeit their right to Paradise ? 

A. They forfeited their right to Paradise by eating 
of the forbidden fruit ; God had given them permission 
to eat of the fruit of every tree in the garden, save one, 
and of that he forbade them to eat, under pain of in- 
curring his displeasure. 

Q. Why did God give them this command? 

A. He gave it to them in order to test their obe- 
dience. 

Q, How did they come to transgress the command? 

A. The devil, who had already been cast out of 
heaven in punishment for his rebellious pride, being 
envious of the happiness of our first parents, resolved, 
if possible, to destroy them and their posterity. 

Q. How did the devil effect his purpose ? 

A. He appeared to Eve under the figure of a serpent, 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 13 

and persuaded her — she being the weaker — that if 
they eat of the forbidden fruit, their eyes should be 
opened, and they should be as God, knowing good and 
evil. 

Q. Did Eve eat of the fruit ? 

A. Yes, she eat of it, and persuaded Adam, her hus- 
band, to eat of it also, which he did, in order to please 
his wife. 

Q. "What followed this violation of God's commandment? 
A. Their eyes were, indeed, opened, but in a differ- 
ent way from what they expected ; they saw, when too 
late, the good they had lost, and felt the shame of their 
transgression. 

Q. How did God punish the disobedience of Adam and Eve ? 
A. God summoned the guilty pair to his presence ; 
reproached them with their crime ; cursed the serpent, 
whom he condemned ever after to creep on the earth, 
and condemned man to earn his bread, thencefor- 
ward, by the sweat of his brow, until he should return 
to the dust whence he had been taken. Thus was 
death introduced into the world as the punishment of 
sin. 

Q. What else did God do in punishment of the sin of our first 
parents ? 

A. He cursed the earth for their sake, and declared 
that it should thenceforward bring forth but thorns and 
thistles ; whereas it had before produced of itself all 
that was necessary for the sustenance of man. 

Q. What then befel the unhappy pair ? 

A. God then drove them out of the terrestrial Para- 



14 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

dise, and placed at the entrance thereof an angel with 
a naming sword, in order to prevent their return 
thither. 

Q. Did God leave our first parents altogether without hope ? 

A. No; he promised them that of the woman 
should be born a Saviour, who was to crush the head 
of the infernal serpent, which means, to destroy the 
power of the Evil One, and deliver mankind from the 
bondage of sin. 

Q. How long before Christ was that promise made ? 
A. It w T as made four thousand and four years before 
Christ. 

Q. What children had Adam and Eve ? 

A. Adam and Eve had several children, but the 
Sacred Scripture mentions particularly only three, Cain, 
Abel, and Seth. 

Q. "What great crime was committed by Cain, the elder 
brother? 

A. Cain, being jealous of his brother Abel, whose 

sacrifices he saw were more acceptable to God than his 

own, conceived a deadly hatred towards him, and killed 

him, in the year three thousand eight hundred and 

seventy-six before Christ. 

J Tin 

Q. How did God punish him for this heinous crime? 

A. By making him a fugitive and a wanderer on the 
earth, and the father of a race as wicked as himself. 
Despairing of forgiveness for his crime, he refused to 
repent, or have recourse to the Divine mercy, and died 
impenitent. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 15 

Q. "What became of the children of Adam after his death ? 

A. Setb, his third son, succeeded him in the office 
of Patriarch, and imitated the piety and virtue of his 
brother Abel. It was his son, Enos, who first began 
to invoke the Lord by public worship, and Enoch, one 
of his descendants, lived so holily, that he was taken 
up alive to heaven, whence he is to be sent at the end 
of the world, to prepare men for the final coming of 
the Redeemer. 

Q. In what year did this event occur? 
A. It occurred in the year three thousand and seven- 
teen before Christ. 

Q Did the race of Seth always continue faithful to the 
Lord? 

A. For a long time they did, and were known on the 
earth as the children of God ; whereas, the descendants 
of Cain, following in the footsteps of their progenitor, 
were called the children of men. But in course of 
time, the two races began to form alliances, and marry 
one with the other, when the children of Seth soon 
became corrupted, and forgot the duty they owed to 
God. 

Q. What men were born of these alliances between the two 
races ? 

A. Men whom the Scripture calls giants, on account 
of their enormous stature. They were an exceedingly 
wicked race of men, and from them, corruption became 
so general, that God found but one just man on the 
earth. 



16 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. Who was this just man ? 
A. He was called Noah. 

Q. What did the Lord do then to punish the wickedness of 
the world ? 

A. He resolved to destroy all mankind, with the ex- 
ception of Noah and his family. 

Q. How was this accomplished ? 

A. The Lord commanded Noah to build an Ark, 
according to the directions which he gave him. Noah 
was a hundred years in building the Ark, and during 
all that time he warned men of the purpose for which 
it was designed ; but they would not believe him. 
When the Ark was completed Noah shut himself in 
it, with his family, consisting of eight persons, and a 
pair of every species of animal. Then the flood-gates 
of heaven were opened, and the rain fell for forty days 
on the earth, and the waters covered the tops of the 
highest mountains, so that every living thing was de- 
stroyed, except those which were in the Ark. 

Q. Where did the Ark rest ? 

A. The Ark rested on Mount Ararat, in Armenia, 
when Noah and his family, with all the animals, went 
out, the earth being again dry ; they had been nearly 
a year shut up in the Ark. 

Q. Of what is the Ark a figure ? 

A. The Ark is a figure of the Church, out of which 
none can be saved. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 17 

SECOND EPOCH, 

EMBRACING 429 YEARS. 

Q. What was Noah's first act on leaving the Ark ? 

A. Noah's first act was to offer sacrifice to God, in 
I thanksgiving for the great mercy he had shown him- 
self and his family, in saving them from the general 
destruction of mankind. 

Q. Did the Lord accept Noah's sacrifice ? 

A. He did, and in token thereof he promised Noah 
that the earth should never again be destroyed by 
water. 

Q. What sign did the Lord give Noah of the perpetual fulfil- 
ment of this covenant ? 

A. The Lord gave Noah, as a sign of the covenant, 
his bow which he placed in the clouds, and which we 
call the rainbow, that seeing it, mankind should always 
remember God's covenant with Noah. 

Q. What was the conduct of Noah's sons towards their father ? 

A. One of them named Cham, acted in such a man- 
ner as to draw down on himself his father's maledic- 
tion, and also that of God. The other two, Sem and 
Japhet did not participate in his guilt. 

Q. What was the particular offence by which Cham incurred 
the divine displeasure ? 

A. The particular offence of Cham was ridiculing 
and despising his father. Noah, having planted a 
vineyard, when the grapes were gathered in, drank 



18 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

freely of their juice, and not knowing its effect, became 
drunk unconsciously, and fell asleep. Cham seeing 
him in that state, ran to call his brothers, laughing and 
making merry over the old man's condition. 

Q. "What did Sem and Japhet? 

A. Instead of laughing at their father's situation as 
their brother had done, they took a cloak and covered 
him respectfully. 

Q. What did Noah, on awaking and being told what had 
passed ? 

A. He cursed Cham, in his descendants, and blessed 
Sem and Japhet in themselves and their posterity. 

Q. How were these words of his fulfilled ? 

A. In the course of some ages, the posterity of 
Cham, through Canaan his son, were almost entirely 
cut off, and the remainder reduced to a state of 
bondage, by the descendants of Sem and Japhet. 

Q. What race of men at the present day represent the de- 
scendants of Cham and his son Canaan ? 

A. The African, or negro race, are the lineal de- 
scendants of Cham and Canaan. 

Q. What great enterprise did the race of Noah undertake 
before they scattered abroad over the earth from the plains of 
Mesopotamia, where they had first settled ? 

A. They undertook to build a mighty tower, high 
enough to reach to heaven. This was partly to render 
their name famous in after times, and partly to secure 
for themselves a safe retreat from any future deluge 
that might submerge the world. They had already 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 19 

lost sight of the Almighty's covenant with their father 
Noah. 

Q. Did they succeed in their foolish undertaking ? 

A. No, Almighty God sent amongst them, when 
their work was fast progressing, a confusion of tongues 
which prevented them from understanding each other; 
they were thus obliged to leave their tower unfinished, 
and disperse throughout the different countries of the 
world. 

Q. What was this tower called ? 

A. It was called Babel, a word which means con- 
fusion. 

Q. "Where was it being erected ? 

A. On the plain of Shinar, near the river Euphrates, 
in Asia. 

Q. In what year did this occur? 

A. It occurred two thousand two hundred and forty- 
seven years before Christ. 

Q. "Whither did the family of Cham go to settle ? 

A. The family of Cham went to settle in Egypt^ 
Arabia, and Palestine, the latter receiving the name of 
Chanaan, from Cham's eldest son, accursed of God. 

Q. "What great city was built on the river Euphrates by Xim- 
rod the hunter, a descendant of Cham ? 

A. The city of Babylon, afterwards called the Great, 
which became in time the seat of a mighty empire. 

Q. What countries were occupied by the children of Japhet? 
A. The country of Asia Minor, and a large portion 
of Europe, were occupied by the children of Japhet. 



20 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. Where did the race of Sem take up their abode ? 
A. The race of Sem took up their abode in Mesopo- 
tamia and Assyria. 

Q. What famous city was built on the river Tigris by Assur, 
of the race of Sem ? 

A. The city of Nineveh, afterwards the capital of 
the great Assyrian empire, so called from Assur, its 
founder. 

Q. What celebrated people descended from the patriarch 
Sem? 

A. The Hebrews, or Israelites, also called the Jews. 

Q. What remarkable changes took place during this second 
epoch of the world's history ? 

A. First, the great decrease in the length of human 
life. Before the deluge, men lived nearly a thousand 
years. Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years, and 
Mathusaleh nine hundred and sixty-nine. After the 
Deluge, the life of man was shortened by two-thirds. 

Q. What other notable change took place ? 

A. The change of food. Before the Deluge, the 
fruits of the earth had been the whole subsistence of 
the human race. During the period of time following 
on the Deluge, God permitted them to add the flesh of 
animals to their ordinary food. 

Q. How did men live after their dispersion f 

A. Men lived for the most part wickedly, and soon 
forgot even the natural law, following only their own 
passions. Vice of every kind soon prevailed on the 
earth, and mankind were again given up to the wicked- 
ness of their own hearts. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 21 

Q. Did they keep alive amongst them the remembrance of 
God? 

A. They did not. Blinded by the devil and their 
own evil passions, they turned away from God, their 
Creator, and began to worship first the sun, moon, and 
stars, then animals, plants, and even inanimate statues 
of wood or stone, the work of their own hands. 

Q. What did God then do in order to perpetuate true religion 
on the earth ? 

A. In order to perpetuate true religion on the earth, 
God resolved to raise up for himself one particular na- 
tion, of whom should be born the promised Saviour ; 
•and he chose Abraham, a just man of the race of Sem, 
to be the head and root of this chosen race. 



THIRD EPOCH. 

EMBRACING 430 YEARS. 

Q. What does the Scripture teach us concerning the calling of 
Abraham ? 

A. The Scripture teaches us that Abraham, a de- 
scendant of the patriarch Sem, lived at Ur, in Mesopo- 
tamia, and unlike the majority of his people, did not 
fall into idolatry, but adored and served the true God. 
Hence it was that Almighty God appointed him to be 
the father of his chosen people, and called him from 
amongst his idolatrous kindred, to settle in the land of 
Canaan. 



22 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. What did the Lord promise Abraham when he called him 
to go into the land of Canaan ? 

A. The Lord promised Abraham, that as a reward 
for his fidelity, he would make of him a great nation ; 
that he would bless him, and magnify his name ; and 
that in him all the nations of the earth should be 
blessed. 

Q. Did Abraham believe the word of God ? 

A. Yes, Abraham believed the word of God; and, 
trusting implicitly in his divine guidance, departed from 
his country, and went into the promised land with his 
wife Sara, and his nephew Lot. 

Q. "What was Abraham's life in the land of Canaan ? 

A. Regarding himself as a stranger and a pilgrim on 
the earth, the holy patriarch continued to live in tents ; 
but not so his nephew Lot, who imprudently went to 
take up his abode in Sodom, a wicked and corrupt 
city. 

Q. Did Lot continue to live in peace after his separation from 
Abraham ? 

A. No, the land wherein he had setttled was in- 
vaded by Codorlahomor king of the Elamites, with 
three other kings, and Lot with all the chief men of 
that country, combined their strength to oppose them. 
A pitched battle was fought between the contending 
forces, in the valley which is now covered by the 
waters of the Dead Sea. 

Q. Who gained the battle ? 

A. The invaders gained the battle, and drove the 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 23 

people of the country before them into the mountains. 
Hey then advanced, plundered the cities, and carried 
DfF a number of captives, amongst whom were Lot and 
his family, with all his flocks and herds. 

Q. "What did Abraham do when he heard of Lot's misfortune ? 

A. He immediately gathered together all his ser- 
vants and all the neighboring shepherds, and pursued 
the invaders. They came up with them at Dan, and 
after a sharp conflict, defeated them. Lot was then 
rescued by his uncle Abraham, and the invaders pur- 
isued to Hoba, on the way to Damascus. 

Q. By whom was Abraham met on his return home ? 

A. He was met by the king of Sodom, and by Mel- 
chisedech, king of Salem, and a priest of the Lord, 
I who bringing forth bread and wine, offered them in 
sacrifice, and blessed Abraham, saying — "Blessed be 
Abraham by the most high God, who created heaven 
and earth, and blessed be the most high God, by whose 
protection thine enemies are in thy hands." 

Q. What did Abraham then do ? 

A. He gave tithes, or the tenth part, of all the spoils 
he had taken, to Melchisedech, the priest of God. 

Q. What befel Sodom in punishment of its wickedness ? 
A. It was consumed by fire from heaven. 

Q. Can you relate the circumstances preceding the destruc- 
tion of Sodom ? 

A. The Lord having apprised Abraham of his in- 
tention to destroy Sodom, Abraham, knowing the great 
mercy of God, besought him to spare the guilty city 



24 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

in case there were fifty just men found in it ; to this 
the Lord consented, when Abraham again asked if forty 
just men would not save it. Again the merciful God 
consented, and even promised, at Abraham's hum- 
ble supplication, that if ten just men were to be found 
in Sodom, he would not destroy it. 

Q. "Were there ten just men found in the city ? 

A. No, there were not ten just men found in the 
whole city of Sodom, and accordingly the Lord sent 
down fire from heaven to consume it off the face of 
the earth. 

Q. How did Lot escape with his family from the flames of 
Sodom ? 

A. Two angels, under the appearance of men, came 
to Sodom in the evening. Lot seeing them, invited 
them to enter his house and lodge there over night ; 
this charitable act saved him and his family from the 
general destruction that came upon the doomed city. 

Q. What occurred whilst the angels were in Lot's house ? 

A. Some of the wicked inhabitants of Sodom came 
to the house for the purpose of insulting the two 
strangers. Lot going out to dissuade them from their 
evil purpose, they began to abuse him, and threatened 
him with bodily harm, when the angels, taking him by 
the hand, drew him into the house. At the same time 
they struck with blindness those that were without, so 
that they were unable to find the door. 

Q. What followed? 

A. The angels told Lot that they were sent to destroy 






CATECHISM OF SACKED HISTORY. 25 

Sodom, and that if he had any relatives or friends whom 
he wished to save he must take them in haste out of the 
city. Lot went to inform his two intended sons-in-law 
of what was to happen, but they laughed at him, and 
would not believe him. Next morning, the angels 
made Lot leave the city with his wife and daughters, 
when a shower of brimstone and fire fell from heaven 
and totally destroyed Sodom, with three other cities, 
equally guilty. These were called the cities of the 
Plain. 

Q. "What befel Lot and his family immediately after their 
leaving Sodom ? 

A. They had been warned by the angels not to look 
back on the accursed city; this injunction w 7 as followed 
by all except Lot's wife who, looking back to see the 
progress of the flames, was changed into a pillar of salt. 
This monumental pillar is still recognized by travellers 
near the shore of the Dead Sea. 

Q. In what year was Sodom destroyed ? 
A. Sodom was destroyed in the year one thousand, 
eight hundred and ninety-seven, before Christ. 

Q. "What was the mark of the covenant which God made 
with Abraham ? 

A. The mark of the covenant which God made with 
Abraham was circumcision, a rite ever after observed 
f by the Jews, jpd by which they were distinguished 
from all the other races of men. 

Q. "Why is Abraham styled father of the faithful? 
A. Abraham is styled father of the faithful on ac- 

8 



26 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

count of his great faith which made him believe because 
God told him, what was contrary to all appearance, 
that he should be the father of a great people, out of 
which the Messiah was to come. 

Q. Who was Ishmael? 

A. Ishmael was the son of Abraham, by a second 
wife who was a bondswoman of his wife" Sara. ^ In 
those early days when the world was still but thinly 
populated, even the holy patriarchs were allowed to 
have more than one wife. 

Q. Was Ishmael the son promised to Abraham, from whose 
race the Messiah was to spring? 

A. No, that promised son was Isaac, miraculously 
born to Abraham of his wife Sara, in her old age. 

Q. Did Ishmael and his mother, Agar the bondswoman, con- 
tinue to dwell in Abraham's tents ? 

A. No, Sara having seen Ishmael treat her son un- 
kindly while they played together, requested Abraham 
to send the boy and his mother away, which he did, m 
,order to preserve the peace of his household. 

Q. What befel Agar and Ishmael in the desert whither they 
retired? . « , 

A. Whilst wandering in the desert, and after having 
exhausted the provisions given them by Abraham at 
their departure, Agar and her son were in danger of 
perishing for want of food and water, when an angel 
appeared to the unhappy mother, and Causing a foun- 
tain to spring up out of the sand, gave her bread, and 
told her to take her son and be careful of him, for that 
he should be the father of a great people. 






CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 27 

Q. What people are the descendants of Abraham's son 
Ishmael ? 

A. The Arab tribes of the desert, who still live in 
tents, and lead to-day the wandering life which thek 
father Ishmael led of old. 

Q. How did God try Abraham's faith ? 

A. God tried Abraham's faith by commanding him 
to take his only son, Isaac, to the top of Mount Moria, 
where the temple of Jerusalem was afterwards built, 
and there sacrifice him to the Lord. 

Q. Did Abraham obey this so harsh command ? 

A. Yes, Abraham obeyed without any hesitation, 
and taking his son to the mountain, he caused him to 
carry up its steep side the wood that was to make the 
fire for consuming the victim. Isaac was thus a figure 
of Christ bearing his cross up the hill of Calvary. 

Q. Did Abraham complete the sacrifice ? 

A. No ; when he had bound his son and laid him on 
the altar, ready to strike him dead, a voice from heaven 
told him not to slay his son, for that God, well pleased 
with his submission, had provided a victim ; turning 
round, Abraham saw a ram with his horns entangled 
in the bushes, and him he sacrificed instead of his son. 

Q. How was Abraham rewarded for his submission to tbo 
divine will ? 

A. He was rewarded by a renewal of the promise 
made to him so long before, that the Saviour of the 
world should be born of his race. 

Q. In what way did Abraham and the other patriarchs live? 

A. They lived as shepherds and husbandmen, having 



28 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

abundance of flocks and herds, and living in great 
plenty, but, at the same time with great frugality and 
simplicity. They were entirely independent of any 
earthly power, subject only to God, each family or tribe 
forming in itself a little state, whereof the father was 
head, and ruled as king. 

Q. Who was the wife of Isaac ? 

A. Rebecca, the grand-daughter of Nachor, Abra- 
ham's brother. Abraham would not permit his son to 
marry amongst the Canaanites, so he sent his servant 
Eliezer to Mesopotamia to seek a wife for him of his 
own kindred. 

Q. What children were bora of this marriage ? 
A. The children born of this marriage were two 
sons, called Esau and Jacob. 

Q. Did these two sons of Isaac live in brotherly friendship 
when they grew to manhood ? 

A. No ; Esau the elder conceived a deadly hatred 
against Jacob his brother, because Jacob, by a stratagem, 
robbed him of his father's blessing, after first depriving 
him of his birthright. 

Q. How did Jacob deprive Esau of his birthright? 

A. Esau, being a hunter, returned one day from the 
field, and found his brother Jacob preparing for himself 
a mess of pottage, which Esau, being hungry, wished 
to share ; Jacob, however, refused to give his brother 
the mess of pottage, unless he sold him his birthright, 
which Esau consented to do, saying, " Lo, I die, what 
will the birthright avail me ? " 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 29 

Q. How did Jacob manage to obtain the paternal blessing, 
instead of Esau, who was their father's favorite ? 

A. Esau was told by his father to go out hunting, 
and bring him of the venison he took to make a savory 
mess thereof, promising him his blessing when he 
brought him the meat ; for he knew he was soon to 
die. Rebecca hearing this, and loving Jacob more than 
Esau, prepared some venison in the way that Isaac de- 
sired, gave it to Jacob, and told him to take it to his 
father, who, being blind, was made to believe that Esau, 
not Jacob, knelt before him. He, therefore, gave his 
blessing to Jacob. 

Q. What did Esau, on his return ? 

A. Finding that Jacob had fraudulently obtained the 
blessing that was meant for him, he was much enraged, 
and made a resolution to kill his brother after their 
father's death. 

Q. How was Jacob saved from his brother's anger? 

A. He was saved by the prudent care of his mother 
Rebecca, who, having learned Esau's design, sent her 
younger son to dwell for a time with her brother 
Laban, in Mesopotamia. 

Q. How was Jacob employed while in that country? 

A. He was employed in tending the flocks of his 
nncle Laban, who gave nim in marriage first his daugh- 
ter Leah, then his younger daughter Rachel, whom 
Jacob loved most tenderly. 

Q. How many sons had Jacob, also called Israel? 

A. Jacob had twelve sons, from whom are descended 



30 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

the twelve tribes of Israel. These sons were named 
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Dan, Juda, Nephtali, Gad, Aser, 
Issachar, Zabulon, Joseph, and Benjamin. After re- 
maining twenty years in Mesopotamia, Jacob returned 
with his whole family into the land of Canaan. 

Q. "What happened to Jacob on his return home ? 

A. His brother Esau, hearing of his approach, went 
to meet him with four hundred armed men. Unable 
to encounter such a force, Jacob was at first alarmed ; 
but in a vision of the night an angel came and wrestled 
with him, leaving him the victory. The angel, there- 
fore, gave him the name of Israel, which signifies strong 
against God, telling him at the same time that he who 
prevailed against God need not fear men. 

Q. What effect had this vision on Jacob ? 

A. It encouraged him to meet his brother, whom 
before he had so much feared ; and, indeed, when Esau 
beheld his brother Jacob advancing towards him, his 
hatred died away, and he saw in him only his long lost 
brother returning to his home. 

Q. At what time did Jacob return from Mesopotamia to the 
land of Canaan ? 

A. One thousand seven hundred and thirty-nine 
years before Christ. 

Q. How old was Isaac when he died ? 

A. An hundred and eighty years. He was buried 
by his sons, Esau and Jacob, in the family burial-place, 
at Mambre, near Hebron, which Abraham had bought, 
and where he and Sara, his wife, were already buried. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 31 

Q. What was Esau's history after his father's death ? 

A. After the death of Isaac Esau removed with his 
family and all the wealth he possessed, to Seir, the 
country around which w r as called from him Idumea, or 
Edom, which signifies red, and was the name given 
I him from the color of the pottage for which he sold 
his birthright. 

Q. "Was Esau prosperous in his undertakings ? 

A. Yes ; he became rich and powerful ; his sons 
were styled dukes, and a number of kings of his race 
reigned in Edom, before the kingdom of Israel was 
established. 

Q. What remarkable personage is supposed to have been a 
descendant of Esau ? 

A. The holy man Job, known to all times and na- 
tions as the model of patience, is supposed to have 
been a king of Edom, of the race of Esau. 

Q. Which of his twelve sons did Jacob love the most ? 

A. Joseph, the son of Rachel, his best beloved wife ; 
Joseph and Benjamin were the sons of Jacob's old 
age ; Joseph, the elder of the two, being born when 
his father was ninety years old. 

Q. Why did the other sons of Jacob hate Joseph ? 

A. Because of his being their father's favorite, and 
also because of certain dreams which he related to 
them, denoting his future superiority. 

Q. How did they revenge themselves on Joseph ? 
A. When Joseph was sixteen years of age, his father 
sent him to a field at some distance from home, whero 



32 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

his brethren were tending their flocks. When they 
saw him coming they determined to kill him, hoping 
thus to prevent the fulfillment of his dreams. 

Q. Did they accomplish their evil purpose ? 

A. No; on the interposition of Reuben, the elder 
brother, they threw him into a pit, and r a little 
while after, Reuben being absent, they sold him to 
some Egyptian merchants who chanced to pass that 
way. 

Q. How did Joseph's brethren represent the matter to their 
father ? 

A. They dipped the boy's coat in the blood of a kid, 
and, taking it home, told their father that a wild beast 
had devoured Joseph. 

Q. How did the Egyptian merchants dispose of Joseph? 
A. They sold him to Potiphar, an officer in the 
household of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 

Q. "What befel Joseph in the house of Potiphar ? 
A. He was falsely accused of a great crime, and 
thrown into prison. 

Q. What happened to him whilst- in prison ? 

A. It so happened that the king's chief butler and 
chief baker were both in prison at the same time. 
Each of them had a remarkable dream, which they 
asked Joseph to interpret. He did accordingly, and 
what he predicted from those dreams came to pass 
exactly as he had foretold. The chief baker was hung 
and the chief butler restored to his place in the king's 
household. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 33 

Q. How did Joseph obtain his release from prison? 

A. Some time after the chief butler's release, it so 
happened that king Pharaoh himself had some strange 
dreams, which he could find no one amongst all his 
wise men to interpret. The butler then remembered 
Joseph, and told the king of what had occurred while 
he was in prison. Joseph being sent for, interpreted 
the king's dreams so wisely and satisfactorily that the 
king regarded him with great favor. 

Q. What did Pharaoh's dreams denote, according to Joseph's 
interpretation ? 

A. They denoted seven years of great plenty, dur- 
ing which the earth was to bring forth abundant har- 
vests, and after that seven }~ears of famine. 

Q. What did Joseph advise Pharaoh to do ? 

A. He advised him to appoint a wise governor over 
the land, who would provide during the years of plenty, 
so that when the famine came the people might have 
wherewith to support life. 

Q. "Whom did Pharaoh appoint as governor ? 

A. He appointed Joseph governor of Egypt, and 
gave him his own ring in token of the authority 
wherewith he invested him. 

Q. "What precautions did Joseph take in order to provide 
against the approaching famine ? 

A. During the seven years of plenty he gathered 
into the king's granaries the fifth part of the country's 
produce. This wise measure saved Egypt from the 
cruel effects of the seven years' sterility. 



34 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. Was the famine confined to Egypt ? 

A. No ; it extended over the neighboring countries, 
and people came from all directions into Egypt to pur- 
chase grain. Amongst others, the patriarch Jacob was 
obliged to send his sons into Egypt, to obtain corn at 
the royal granaries. 

Q. How did Joseph treat his brethren ? 

A. He treated them at first as though they were 
strangers, in order to ascertain what their dispositions 
were. He pretended to take them for spies, and threw 
them into prison, where they remained three days. 

Q. How did the sons of Jacob receive this misfortune ? 

A. They were struck with terror, and humbling 
themselves before God, confessed that they had de- 
served all that might come upon them, because of 
their cruelty and perfidy towards their brother Joseph. 

Q. What did Joseph then ? 

A. Having understood what his brothers said to each 
other, although they knew it not, he was much moved 
by their repentance, and hearing from them that they 
had at home an aged father and a young brother, re- 
leased them from prison, with the exception of Simeon, 
whom he retained as a hostage, and giving them the 
corn for which they had come, he caused the money 
they paid him to be put in the mouths of their sacks, 
and sent them home, charging them to bring back with 
them their younger brother, Benjamin, as a proof of 
the truth of their assertions. 

Q. What followed ? 

A. Opening their sacks on the way home, Joseph's 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 35 

brethren were much troubled to find the gold therein ; 
going home, they told their father all that had hap- 
pened, and how Simeon was kept as a hostage by the 
governor of Egypt, until they should return with Ben- 
jamin. The old man was much grieved at what he 
heard, and declared that he would never permit Benja- 
min to leave him, fearing lest evil should befal him like 
his brother Joseph. 

Q. Did Jacob keep this resolution ? 

A. No ; the following year, when all the corn 
brought from Egypt was eaten up, and the famine still 
continued, Jacob was forced to permit Benjamin to go 
with his brethren into Egypt, so that a fresh supply 
I might be obtained, and their brother Simeon released 
from prison. 

Q. What did Joseph when they returned with Benjamin ? 

A. He released Simeon ; invited them to eat at his 

| own table, and treated them with marked distinction, 

' especially Benjamin, his brother by the same mother; 

but when they were leaving, Joseph ordered his silver 

cup to be placed in Benjamin's sack, as he wished to 

give his brethren one more trial. 

Q. How did Joseph's brethren receive the honors paid them ? 

A. They were much astonished by the treatment 
they received, and knew not what to think of it ; they 
were still more amazed when, having gone a little way 
on their homeward journey, they w T ere overtaken by a 
messenger from the governor of Egypt, charging them 
with having stolen his master's silver cup. 



36 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 






Q. What happened then ? 

A. The sons of Jacob were sorely troubled by such 
an accusation, and told the officer to search their sacks 
saying, that if the cup were found in any of them, the 
owner thereof should remain as the king's slave. Thej 
were all brought back as prisoners. 

Q. What happened when the cup was found in Benjamin' 
sack? 

A. His brethren were grieved beyond measure, anc 
one of them, Juda, who had gone security to their fathe: 
for the boy's safe return, declared that he would remaii 
in captivity in Benjamin's place, as he could not bear to 
return without him to their aged father. 

Q. What was the consequence ? 

A. Joseph hearing this was so much affected, thai 
he resolved to discover himself at once to bis brethren ; 
and sending all others from the room, he told them 
that he was their brother Joseph, whom they had sold 
into Egypt. Hearing, this they were sore afraid, but 
Joseph told them to fear nothing, for that in what 
had befallen him, he saw only the hand of God, who 
had thus sent him before them into Egypt, to save 
them all from perishing by hunger. 

Q. What else did Joseph say ? 

A. He told his brethren that five years of famine 
were yet to come, and that they must return home and 
bring their father, with their wives and children, and 
all that was theirs, and settle in the land of Egypt, 
where he would provide abundantly for their support, 
and that of their flocks and herds. 






CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. SY 

Q. What did Pharaoh when he heard that Joseph's brethren 
had arrived, and that his father still lived in Canaan ? 

A. He commanded Joseph to send immediately for 
his father and all his kindred, promising that they 
should be well provided for in Egypt. In order to ex- 
pedite their journey, he ordered wagons to be sent for 
the women and children. 

Q. How did Jacob receive the intelligence that his son 
Joseph still lived? 

A. At first he refused to believe it, but on seeing the 
wagons and the rich presents sent him from Egypt, he 
was convinced, and being eager to see again his most 
beloved son, prepared at once to set forward on his, 
journey. 

Q. What occurred to Jacob, or Israel, on his way to Egyj&f? 

A. He had offered sacrifices to the Lord, at a pl^ce 
called Bersabee, when, having fallen asleep, he ha& a 
vision, and heard the voice of God saying, "I an&tfae 
most mighty God of thy father; fear not, go down, into 
Egypt, for I will make a great nation of thee tfcere, 
I will go down with thee thither, and will bring thee 
back again from thence ; Joseph also shall put his 
hands on thy eves." 

Q. "What was the number of Jacob's family when, tjiey en- 
tered into Egypt ? 

A. They numbered seventy souls. 

Q. Where did Joseph meet his father? 

A. He met him at Gessen, the placfe in tended; By 
Joseph for the dwelling of his kindred, and. of which 
Jacob was put in possession by order of. the : fejng. 



38 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. Relate what passed between Jacob and the king ? 

A. When Joseph brought his father, the old shep- 
herd, to present him to the king, Jacob blessed Pha- 
raoh, and the king asked him, " How many are the 
days of the years of thy life ?" and Jacob answered, 
" The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred 
and thirty years, few and evil ; and they are not come 
up to the days of the pilgrimage of my fathers." 

Q. How long did Jacob live after going to dwell in Egypt ? 

A. Seventeen years ; he was one hundred and forty- 
seven years old when he died, after blessing his sons 
and their descendants. 

Q. To which of his sons did Jacob give his choicest and most 
special blessing ? 

A. To Juda and Joseph. To the former, he prom- 
ised that his seed should hold dominion over all the 
others, and that from it should spring the desired of 
nations, meaning the promised Messiah. To Joseph he 
assigned a double portion, and blessed and adopted his 
two sons, more especially Ephraim the younger. 

Q. Why was it not to Reuben, his eldest son, that Jacob pro- 
mised such great things ? 

A. Because Reuben had forfeited his birthright by 
his sins. 

Q. Did Joseph execute all his father's commands? 

A. Yes, he had his body embalmed after the manner 
of the Egyptians, and when the seventy days allotted 
for mourning had expired, he conveyed it with great 
pomp to the land of Canaan, where it was interred, by 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 3£ 

the side of Rachel's grave, according to the patriarch's 
last injunction. 

Q. "What did Joseph's brethren fear, after their father's death ? 
A. They feared that Joseph would punish them for 
their former iniquity, now that their father was dead. 

Q. How did Joseph re-assure them ? 

A. He wept, and told them not to fear, for that 
great good, instead of evil, had come to him through 
their act, and that he had been made the saviour of 
many ; he also renewed his promises of protection to 
them and their families. In this conduct of the holy 
patriarch Joseph, we find an admirable example of that 
divine virtue, forgiveness of injuries, and returning 
good for evil. 

Q. What did Joseph prophesy to his brethren a little before 
his death ? 

A. He prophesied that God would visit them after 
his death, 'and put them in possession of the land 
which he had promised to their fathers, Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob. 

Q. What promise did he require of them ? 

A. That they would carry his bones with them when 
they went to take possession of the promised land. 

Q. How old was Joseph at the time of his death ? 

A. He was a hundred and ten years old, eighty 
years of which he had been governor of Egypt. 

Q. What have you to remark of Joseph ? 
A. That he is considered one of the types of our 
divine Lord, of whom several are found under the old 



40 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

dispensation. The principal circumstances of Joseph's 
life correspond exactly, but of course figuratively, with 
the life of our blessed Redeemer. 

Q. What befel the children of Israel after Joseph's death ? 

A. Pharaoh the friend of Joseph having died also, 
there was a new king in Egypt, and he being jealous 
of their rapid increase in numbers and in riches, treated 
them with great severity, endeavoring to repress their 
growth as a nation, by the heavy burdens he imposed 
upon them. 

Q. Bid he succeed in weakening them by these means? 

A. No, on the contrary, the more Pharaoh oppressed 
them, the more a great deal did Almighty God prosper 
and strengthen them. 

Q. What did Pharaoh do, on seeing this ? 

A. He commanded the Egyptian midwives to kill 
all the male children of the Hebrews as soon as they 
were born ; but finding that this cruel order was not 
generally obeyed, he decreed that all the male children 
of the Hebrews should be drowned in the river Nile. 

Q. What remarkable Hebrew personage was rescued when 
an infant, from the waters of the Nile ? 

A. Moses, whom the Lord had appointed to be the 
deliverer of his people from Egyptian bondage. 

Q. How was Moses preserved ? 

A. His mother had succeeded in hiding the infant 
for three months after his birth, but finding that she 
could not much longer hope to conceal him, she made 
a basket of bulrushes, which she carefully cemented so 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 41 

as to keep out the water, and placed it, with her infant 
in it, amid the long grass by the river side, sending his 
sister to keep watch over the child at a little distance. 
The basket and its precious contents were discovered 
by the king's daughter, who had gone thither to bathe 
with her maidens, and by her pitying kindness the 
future law-giver of Israel was saved. 

Q. "What did the princess do, on discovering the child ? 

A. She desired the sister of Moses, who then came 
forward, to procure her a nurse, whereupon the girl 
ran for her mother, to whose care the infant was en- 
trusted, the princess adopting him as her son, and giv- 
ing him the name of Moses. 

Q. Where did Moses spend the earlier portion of his life ? 

A. The first forty years of his life he spent at the 
court of Pharaoh, where, as the adopted son of the 
king's daughter, he was instructed in all the learning 
of the Egyptians, who were then, and for many ages 
after, the most polished nation on the earth. 

Q. "What was the cause of his leaving Egypt ? 

A. He fled from Egypt, fearing the wrath of Pha- 
ach, because he had killed an Egyptian, whom he saw 
striking a Hebrew. 

Q. "Whither did Moses retire ? 

A. To the country of the Madianites, where he 
found Jethro, a priest of the true God, to whom he 
attached himself, and having married his daughter 
Sephora, had by her two sons, named Gersam and 
Eliezer. 



42 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. How long did Moses remain in Madian ? 

A. He remained there forty years, when he was 
admonished from on high in a miraculous manner to 
return to Egypt. 

Q. Relate the occurrence. 

A. Moses having charge of the flocks of Jethro, his 
father-in-law, had driven them far into the desert, in 
the vicinity of Mount Horeb, when suddenly the Lord 
appeared to him in a burning bush, and commanded 
him to go back into Egypt, to deliver his people from 
the hands of Pharaoh. 

Q. Of what was this burning bush a type ? 

A. It was a type of the blessed Virgin, inasmuch 
as though all on fire with the brightness of God, who 
was present in it, it yet was not consumed. 

Q. What answer did Moses make ? 

A. He said : " Who nm I, that I should bring the 
children of Israel out of Egypt?" He further asked: 
" What shall I say to the children of Israel, if, when I 
tell them that the God of their fathers sent me, they 
should ask his name V } 

Q. What did God reply ? 

A. He replied : " I Am who Am. You shall say 
to the children of Israel, * He who is hath sent me 
to you P " And again, " The Lord God of your fa- 
thers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the 
God of Jacob, hath sent me to you." 

Q. Did Moses still hesitate? 

A. Yes; he still feared that the Hebrew people 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 43 

would not believe in the commission he had received, 
but the Lord, to strengthen and encourage him, gave 
him two miraculous signs. 

Q. What were these signs ? 

A. He told him to cast the rod he held in his hand 
upon the ground, when it was changed into a serpent; 
then telling him to take it up by the tail, it became 
again a rod. The Lord further commanded Moses to 
put his hand into his bosom, when, drawing it out, it 
was covered with leprosy ; then, being told to put it 
again in his bosom, it was healed. He added: "If 
they will not believe the former sign, they will believe 
the latter ; but if they will not believe either, take 
water out of the river, and pour it out, when it shall 
be turned into blood." 

Q. What did Moses still plead ? 

A. That he was slow of speech, and unfit to go upon 
such a mission. And God said to him : " Who made 
man's mouth, or who made the dumb and the deaf, the 
seeing and the blind ? did not I ? Go, therefore, and 
I will be in thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalfc 
speak." 

Q. Did Moses still object? 

A. Yes ; his humility was so great that he could 
not be persuaded, even by God himself, of his fitness 
to undertake so important a mission, when the Lord, 
compassionating his weakness, told him that his brother 
Aaron, being more eloquent than he, should address 
the people for him, and that He himself would be with 
both. 



44 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. What else did the Lord say to Moses ? 

A. He told bim to take the rod in his hand, and 
work signs with it before Pharaoh, and to go without 
fear, as all who sought his life were dead. 

Q. Did Moses then consent ? 

A. Yes, taking his wife and his two sons with him, he 
returned to Egypt, accompanied by his brother Aaron, 
who met him on the way by the divine command. 

Q. How old was Moses when he thus undertook the deliver- 
ance of the Hebrews ? 

A. He was eighty years old. 

Q. What did Moses and Aaron first do when they returned 
to Egypt ? 

A. They called together all the ancients of Israel, 
and Aaron told them all that the Lord had said to 
Moses, and he wrought the signs before all the people. 

Q. Did the people believe ? , 

A. They did ; and falling down they adored the 
Lord God of Israel, who in mercy had visited his peo- 
ple. 

Q. What did Moses and Aaron then do ? 

A. They went straight to the presence of the king, 
and told him : " Thus saith the Lord God of Israel : 
4 Let my people go, that they may sacrifice to me in 
the desert.' " 

Q. What was Pharaoh's answer ? 

A. "Who is the Lord, that I should hear his voice 
and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither shall I 
let Israel go." 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 45 

Q. What did Aaron then do ? 

A. In order to convince Pharaoh of the power of 
the Hebrews, he cast the rod of Moses on the ground, 
when it was changed into a serpent. 

Q. Did this miracle convince the king ? 
A. No ; he called his magicians, and they casting 
their rods on the ground, they also became serpents. 

Q. What followed ? 

A. Aaron's rod devoured those of the magicians, 
whose power was thus set at nought. 

Q. Did Pharaoh still refuse to allow the Israelites to depart ? 

A. He did ; and the oppression of the Israelites 
still increasing, Almighty God smote the Egyptians 
with ten successive plagues, in order to compel Pha- 
raoh to let his people go forth. 

Q. What was the last of these plagues ? 

A. The death, in one night, of the first-born of 
every Egyptian family, from that of Pharaoh himself 
to the humblest of his subjects, and likewise the first- 
born of all beasts. 

Q. Were the Israelites involved in this calamity ? 

A. No, they were miraculously preserved, by sprink- 
ling with the blood of the Paschal Lamb the upper 
and side door-posts of their dwellings. 

Q. How was the memory of this wonderful deliverance per- 
petuated amongst the Hebrews ? 

A. By the yearly observance of the festival called 
the pasch or passover ; this festival is still solemnised 
by the Jews in every part of the world. By Christians 



46 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

it is regarded as the type of trie great pasch of the 
New Law, tlie adorable sacrament of Christ's body and 
blood, as the Paschal Lamb was itself a figure of our 
divine Redeemer, through whose blood mankind is 
alone saved from perdition. 

Q. What effect had this awful visitation on the Egyptians ? 

A. When at midnight the cry of death went forth 
all over Egypt, Pharaoh and his people, in their mor- 
tal terror of the Hebrews' God, urged Moses to depart 
immediately with the children of Israel, and all that 
belonged to them. All that they asked of gold, silver, 
and raiment was likewise given them, in order to expe- 
dite their departure, and propitiate their terrible God. 

Q. What was then the number of the Hebrew people ? 
A. Six hundred thousand men they marched out of 
Egypt, besides women and children. 

Q. What did they carry with them ? 

A. The bones of the holy patriarch Joseph, which, 
according to his dying injunction, they meant to bury 
in the land of Canaan, with those of his father Jacob 
and his mother Rachel. 

Q. How long had the race of Israel sojourned in Egypt ? 

A. Four hundred and thirty years, reckoning from 
the time of Abraham's first going thither, when called 
to leave his home and kindred in Mesopotamia. 

Q. In what year did this emit take place ? t - 

A. In the year of the world, 2453. | 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 47 



FOURTH EPOCH, 

FROM THE DELIVERANCE OF THE JEWS OUT OF EGYPT, COM- 
MONLY CALLED THE JEWISH EXODUS, TO THE FOUNDATION 
OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE. 

Q. What command did God give the Iraelites on their de- 
parture from Egypt. 

A. To solemnise every year the feast of the passover 
in remembrance of their deliverance from Egyptian 
bondage, and to consecrate to him their first-born sons, 
and the first-born of every beast. 

Q. How did God conduct the Israelites through the desert? 
A. By a pillar of cloud which moved before ther* 
during the day, and a pillar of fire during the night. 

Q. Did Pharaoh repent of having allowed them to depart ? 

A. He did, and assembling a mighty army of horse 
and foot, with six hundred chariots, he set out in pursuit 
of the children of Israel. 

Q. "Where were the Israelites when they found Pharaoh ap- 
proaching? 

A. They were encamped on the banks of the Red 
Sea, which lay between them and the Land of Promise. 
They were terrified by the sight of the Egyptian army 
advancing rapidly, and began to murmur against Moses 
for having led them out into the desert. 

Q. How did Moses act in this trying emergency ? 
A. He told the people not to fear, for that God was 
about to work great wonders on their behalf. 



48 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. What happened then ? 

A. The angel of the Lord who had hitherto guided 
the children of Israel, in their march through the 
desert, moved to the rear and stood between them and 
the Egyptian hosts, while Moses, by the command of 
God, stretched his rod over the sea, and immediately 
the sea dividing, left a dry passage, through which the 
Hebrews marched, the water standing like a wall on 
either side. 

Q. "What then befel the Egyptians? 

A. They rushed forward at Pharaoh's bidding, 
between the walls of water, expecting to cross the Red 
Sea by the passage that had been opened for the flying 
Hebrews ; but no sooner had the host of Israel reached 
the farther shore in safety, than the Lord commanded 
Moses to stretch his rod again over the sea, and im- 
mediately the waters closing in, buried in their depths 
the Egyptian king with his mighty array. 

Q. What was the first act of Moses and the Israelites on 
reaching the farther shore ? 

A. Their first act was to sing, with one accord, a 
canticle of praise to God, in which Miriam, the sister 
of Moses, joined, with all the women of Israel. 

Q. What was the next remarkable occurrence in the progress 
of the Israelites through the desert ? 

A. The people having marched three days without 
finding any water to drink, came to a place called Mara, 
where water was to be had, but it was bitter to the taste ; 
they then began to murmur, reproaching Moses, as 
before, with having led them out to die in the desert. 



CATECHISM OF SACKED HISTORY. 49 

Q. What did Moses ? 

A. He prayed God to assist him, and was by him 
directed to a tree, the wood of which, when thrown 
into the water, rendered it sweet. 

Q. What was the next prodigy wrought for the people of 
Israel ? 

A. They had reached the desert of Sin, w r hen they 
began to murmur, as usual, against Moses and Aaron, 
because they had no bread. Then Moses and Aaron 
promised them that the Lord would provide food for 
them in abundance. That same evening a vast multi- 
tude of quails covered the camp, and on the following 
morning, the ground all around was covered with a 
white substance called manna which had fallen from 
the heavens during the night ; this the Israelites, by 
the command of Moses, formed into delicious bread. 

Q. How long were the children of Israel fed with this 
manna ? 

A. Forty years : that is to say, till they eat of the 
corn of the promised land. 

Q. Were the Israelites grateful for this heavenly food ? 

A. For a time they were, but they soon became dis- 
satisfied at having nothing else to eat, and thought 
with greedy longing of the flesh-pots of Egypt. 

Q. Of what was the manna a type ? 

A. Of the blessed sacrament of Christ's love, the 
adorable Eucharist, wherein he gives us the true bread 
from heaven. 

5 



50 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. What other prodigy did Moses work for the people of 
Israel while in the desert ? 

A. When they were suffering from the want of 
water in the desert of Raphidim, Moses was commanded 
by God to strike the rock Horeb with his miraculous 
rod, and immediately a plentiful stream issued from the 
hard rock. 

Q. "What remarkable circumstance took place on another oc- 
casion, when the people murmured for want of water? 

A. Moses being commanded to strike a rock, struck 
it twice with his rod, whereat God was angry, because 
he had seemed to doubt that water would come on the 
first stroke. In punishment of his momentary hesita- 
tion, or want of confidence, the Lord told him and 
Aaron that they should not lead the people into the 
land of promise. 

Q. "What people attacked the Israelites in the desert ? 
A. The Amalekites, a warlike people, whom they 
overcame by the prayers of Moses. 

Q. Can you tell how this occurred ? 

A. Moses remained on a hill at a little distance, 
holding the miraculous rod upraised between his 
hands ; it was observed that when his hands sank lower 
from fatigue, the Amalekites seemed to prevail, where- 
upon Aaron and Hur held them up until the bat- 
tle was gained by the Israelites, and the enemy put 
to flight. 

Q. When and where did God give his law to the Israelites? 
A. In the third month after their going forth from 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 51 

Egypt, the law was given them from the top of Mount 
Sinai, amid thunder and lightning that struck the peo- 
ple with fear. This was in the design of God, to fill 
them with awe of his almighty power, and make them 
dread the consequences of disobedience. With the 
sound of trumpet, the Lord himself proclaimed his Ten 
Commandments. 

Q. What did the people in their terror ? 

A. Lying prostrate on the ground, afraid to raise 
their eyes, they begged of Moses to speak alone with 
God, and that they would faithfully observe the Com- 
mandments transmitted through him. They could not 
bear to hear the voice of God, or behold the awful 
splendor of the scene. 

Q. Did Moses go up accordingly to the mountain ? 

A. He did, and remained there in communion with 
God forty days and forty nights, during which he nei- 
ther ate nor drank. 

Q. How were the people engaged during his absence ? 

A. They already forgot the invisible God who 
had wrought such wonders for them, and compelled 
Aaron, to make them of the ornaments worn by their 
wives and daughters, a golden calf, to worship as an 
idol, around which they danced and sang, crying, 
" These be thy Gods, Israel, that brought thee out 
of the land of Egypt !" Thus were they occupied when 
Moses descended from the mountain with the law of 
God, written on two tables of stone. 

Q. "What did Moses on seeing this shameful sight ? 

A. He threw down the tables of the law, which 



52 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

were broken to pieces in the fall. The idol he seized, 
and having bruised and beaten it to powder, so as to 
Bhow the unhappy idolaters what manner of idol they 
had been worshipping, he put the powder into water, of 
which he made the people drink. Then sternly re- 
buking Aaron for conniving at their wicked folly, he 
called on all who still remained faithful to the Lord, to 
range themselves beside him. 

Q. Who were they that did so ? 

A. The whole tribe of Levi, to which Moses and 
Aaron belonged. 

Q. "What did Moses then do ? 

A. He commanded the sons of Levi to draw their 
swords, and march through the camp to and fro, put- 
ting to death every soul they met on their way. 

Q. How many of the idolatrous Hebrews perished that 
day? 

A. About twenty-three thousand. These were slain 
to expiate the sin of all. 

Q. "What did Moses then do? 

A. He prostrated himself before God, beseeching him 
to pardon the sins of his people, and renew his cove- 
nant with them. 

Q Did G-od hear his supplication ? 

A. He lid ; and commanded him to hew two other 
tables of stone, and to take them up to the mountain, 
where the finger of God again wrote the Command- 
ments, and Moses remained forty days and forty nights 
as before. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 53 

Q. What change was visible in Moses after this his second 
descent from tbe mountain ? 

A. His face shone with such resplendent bright- 
ness, that the people feared to look upon him, and he 
covered his face with a veil, which he wore ever after, 
except when he went to communicate with God in the 
Tabernacle. 

Q. "What was the first act of Moses on coming down from the 
mount ? 

A. To have the people commence the Ark of the 
Covenant and the Tabernacle, according to the direc- 
tions given him by God. 

Q. "What/ was the Ark of the Covenant ? 

A. It was a box composed of the most precious 
woods, covered within and without with the purest gold. 
In it were kept the ten Commandments, or the new 
covenant of God with men. 

Q. "What was the Tabernacle ? 

A. A portable tent, all covered with the richest 
stuffs. It was divided into two parts, the inner of 
which was called the Holy of Holies, and in it was 
placed the Ark of the Covenant. 

Q. "What tribe was appointed by God to take charge of the 
Tabernacle, and all that belonged to the divine service? 

A. The tribe of Levi, whom God set apart for him* 
self, instead of the first-born of all the tribes of Israel. 

Q. "Whom did God choose from the tribe of Levi to ministei 
to him as priests ? 

A. He chose Aaron and his sons to be his priests 
for ever. 

5* 



54 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. Were the priests distinguished by any particular dress ? 

A. Yes, the Lord himself gave particular directions 
for making the priestly vestments, some of which, were 
common to all the priests, others to be worn only by 
the high priest. 

Q. Who were Nadab and Abihu, and what was their offence ? 

A. Nadab and Abihu were the sons of Aaron, 
priests like himself; their offence was, offering strange 
fire in their censers, instead of that prepared for the 
purpose. 

Q. What was their punishment ? 

A. They were instantly struck dead by fire from 
heaven ; and, by the command of Moses, their bodies 
were thrown outside the camp, clothed as they were, 
in their priestly garments ; moreover, their father and 
their brethren w T ere not permitted to mourn for them. 

Q. Where was sacrifice alone to be offered ? 
A. Before the door of the Tabernacle, and by the 
hands of the priest. 

Q. When the children of Israel resumed their march for the 
promised land, did they cease to murmur against God ? 

A. No, they relapsed again and again into the same 
state of discontent; on one of these occasions, afire 
was sent from heaven that consumed a great number. 
Mary, or Miriam, the sister of Moses, was stricken 
with leprosy for the same offence, but was healed at 
the prayer of Moses, after seven days' banishment from 
the camp. 



\ 

CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 55 

Q. What did Moses as the Israelites approached the pro- 
mised land ? 

A. He sent thither twelve spies to bring him back a 
description of the country, and what they saw there. 

Q. What followed? 

A. Although the spies gave a most favorable ac- 
count of the land, its beauty and fertility, they all ex- 
cept two, Josue and Caleb, represented the inhabitants 
as a most fierce and formidable people, which so fright- 
ened the timid children of Israel that they feared to 
enter the land of promise, declared they w T ould rather 
die in the wilderness, and talked of returning to Egypt. 

Q. What did the Lord then threaten ? 

A. In punishment of their obstinacy and ingrati- 
tude, he threatened to slay the entire people by pesti- 
lence, but at the intercession of Moses, he forgave them, 
condemning them, nevertheless, to wander forty years in 
the desert, adding that none of them save two, Josue 
and Caleb, should enter the land of promise, but that 
their children should take possession of it. 

Q. How were the ten spies punished who had given a false 
account of the state of things in the promised land ? 
A. They were punished by sudden death. 

Q. Did the Israelites, repenting of their folly, attempt to en- 
ter the promised land ? 

A. They did, but acting contrary to the declared 
will of God, they were defeated with great slaughter. 

Q. What was the schism of Core, Dathan, and Abiron? 

A. Core, a Levite, with Dathan and Abiron of the 



56 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

I 

tribe of Reuben, and two hundred and. fifty of the 
chief men of Israel, came together, and demanded to 
know why Moses and Aaron assumed to themselves so 
great power over the people. 

Q. What did Moses to quell their sedition ? 

A. He rebuked Core, for that he being a Levite, 
should murmur at a distinction which did honor to his 
whole tribe ; he sent for Dathan and Abiron, but they 
refused to obey the summons ; he then ordered Core 
with his two hundred and fifty adherents, to come for- 
ward next day with their censers in their hands, and 
that Aaron also being present with his censer the Lord 
would show whom he had chosen for the priestly office. 

Q. "What was the result ? 

A. When Core and his followers assembled next day, 
and the two hundred and fifty offered incense, a fire 
from heaven consumed them all, and the earth opening 
under the tents of Core, Dathan, and Abiron, they 
were swallowed up alive with all that belonged to them, 
except the sons of Core, who not having joined in their 
fathers schism, were miraculously preserved. 

Q. Did the effects of Core's schism end here ? 

A. No, on the following day, the people accuse^ 
Moses and Aaron of having caused the death of at 
who oerished on the previous day, whereupon the Lord 
sent down fire from heaven which destroyed fourteen 
thousand seven hundred persons, and was only stopped 
in its destructive fury by Aaron offering incense^ and 
praying between the living and the dead. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 57 

Q. "What punishment was inflicted by God's command on an 
Israelite who was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day ? 

A. He was stoned to death, for his violation of the 
law of God. 

Q. For what offence was another man stoned to death ? 
A. For having blasphemed the holy name of God, 
contrary to the second commandment. 

Q. What do all these examples teach us ? 
A. They teach us how wicked it is to violate the law 
of God, and how terrible the punishment due to sin. 

Q. What were the chief festivals of the Mosaic law ? 

A. First, the Pasch, celebrated during the first 
month, in commemoration' of the deliverance from 
Egyptian bondage ; secondly, the feast of Pentecost, 
fifty days after the Pasch, as a remembranee of the giv- 
ing of the law on Mount Sinai; thirdly, the feast of 
Tabernacles, in the seventh month, in remembrance of 
| the time spent by the children of Israel in the desert ; 
fourthly, the Sabbath, kept on the seventh day of each 
week, as a memorial of the Lord's mysterious rest 
after creating the world in six days. 

Q. How did God confirm the priesthood to Aaron and his 
sons? 

A. He commanded Moses to have the prince of each 
tribe give in a rod marked with his name ; these rods 
were placed over night in the Tabernacle. Next day 
when the people were all assembled, Moses went into the 
Tabernacle and brought forth the rods, when that of 



58 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Aaron was found covered with leaves, blossoms, and 
fruit. This was the sign whereby the Lord had prom- 
ised to distinguish the tribe and the family whom he 
would have to serve at his altars. 

Q. What did the Lord command Moses to do with Aaron's 
rod? 

A. He commanded him to place it in the Tabernacle, 
as a perpetual memorial to the children of Israel that 
he had chosen Aaron and his sons for the priesthood. 

Q. Where did Aaron die ? 

A. He died on Mount Hor, on the borders of the 
land of Edom, in the fortieth year of the Jewish exo- 
dus, and the hundred and twenty-third of his age. 
When he was about to die, Moses went up with him and 
his eldest son Eleazer to the top of the mountain, and 
stripping Aaron of the priestly garments, he placed 
them on Eleazer, whom he then presented to the peo- 
ple as the successor of Aaron. 

* Q. Did the people murmur again after the death of Aaron? 

A. They did ; and in punishment of their ingrati- 
tude, the Lord sent amongst them fiery serpents, that 
bit and killed a great number of persons. 

Q. How were they delivered from these fiery serpents? 

A. By the prayer of Moses, who, on their acknowl- 
edging their fault, besought God to have mercy on 
them ; the Lord hearing his prayer, commanded him 
to make a brazen serpent and set it up in the sight of 
all the people, that by looking on it they that were 
bitten should be healed. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 59 

Q. Of what was this brazen serpent a figure? 

A. It was a very striking figure of Jesus Christ, our 
Redeemer, on the cross, for by hiru the health of the 
soul is restored ; and it is by raising our eyes to Him 
that sin, the bite of the infernal serpent, is healed. 

Q. "Were the Israelites allowed to take peaceable possession 
of the land of promise, at the end of their forty years' wandering 
in the desert ? 

A. No ; the Edomites would not allow them to pass 
through their country, and they were successively at- 
tacked by the other pagan nations who dwelt along 
the borders of the desert. By the divine assistance, 
however, they overcame all their enemies ; and Balak, 
king of Moab, sent Balaam, a false prophet, to curse 
them, hoping thereby to deter them from marching 
onward. 

Q. What followed? 

A. Balaam was on his journey to do the bidding of 
the king of Moab, when the ass on which he rode sud- 
denly spoke, and asked him why he beat her for not 
going on and throwing herself on the ground, since it 
was through fear of an angel who stood in the way 
with a drawn sword. 

Q. Did Balaam see the angel ? 

A. He did, when the ass spoke, but not before. 

Q. ."What happened then ? 

A. Balaam prostrated himself before the angel, and 
acknowledged his fault, declaring his willingness to re- 
turn, but the angel permitted him to continue his jour- 



60 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

ney, on condition that he spoke only what things were 
commanded him to speak. 

Q. Did Balaam curse the Israelites? 

A. No ; he was forced to bless, instead of cursing 
them, and prophesied that the Messiah should coma 
from amongst them ; that a star should arise out of 
Jacob, and a sceptre spring up from Israel. 

Q. "What further took place in connection with the Moabites ? 

A. By the advice of Balaam, the king of the Moa- 
bites succeeded in drawing the Israelites into idolatry, 
by inducing them to take wives from amongst his peo- 
ple ; in punishment of this grievous crime, twenty-four 
thousand Israelites were struck dead. 

Q. How was the remnant of the people saved? 

A. By the courage and fidelity of Phineas, son of 
Eleazer, the high priest, with twelve thousand men cho- 
sen by Moses from the twelve tribes ; these attacked 
the idolatrous Moabites, whom they utterly extermi- 
nated. 

Q. To what tribes did Moses give the country of Moab, and 
the other lands gained by conquest east of the Jordan ? 

A. He gave them to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and 
the half tribe of Manasses (son of Joseph), on condition 
that they assisted their brethren to take possession of 
the promised land. 

Q. What command did God give the Israelites, through 
Moses, on their entering the promised land ? 

A. To make no alliance with any of the inhabitants, 
whom they w r ere utterly to exterminate, to break their 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 61 

idols, and cut down the groves which were the scenes 
of their pagan rites. 

Q. When and where did Moses die ? 

A. He died on Mount Nebo, within sight of the 
promised land, just when the Israelites were about to 
enter and possess it. He was not permitted to enter 
it, but only to see it from a distance, in punishm ent of 
what some might think the trifling fault of striking the 
K>ck twice, as elsewhere related. 

Q. What did Moses prophesy before his death ? 

A. He" prophesied the coming of the Messiah. 

Q. "What had Moses written ? 

A. He had written the history of the world and of 
the Jewish people up to that time, and placed the sacred 
record in the Ark of the Covenant. 

Q. Whom did God appoint to succeed Moses, and to lead his 
people across the Jordan to the land of promise ? 

A. He appointed Josue, a faithful Levite, who had 
served in the Tabernacle from his early youth, and had 
been one of the twelve sent forty years before to view 
the promised land. 

Q How did the people of Israel cross the Jordan? 

A. In the same miraculous manner they had before 
crossed the Red Sea. By God's command, the priests, 
carrying the Ark, moved two thousand cubits in ad- 
vance of the people, and according as the priests touched 
the water it divided, leaving a dry passage ; when the 
priests reached the middle of the river, they stood still 
with the Ark till all had passed over, and as soon as 



62 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

the Ark was carried to the river's bank, the water 
flowed again into its wonted channel. 

Q. "What monument did Josue cause to be erected in remem- 
brance of this prodigy ? • 

A. He caused twelve large stones to be taken from 
the spot whereon the priests had stood in the middle 
of the river, and piled together in the midst of the 
camp, at Galgal in the land of promise. 

Q. What place in that country was first taken by the Israel- 
ites? 

A. The city of Jericho. 

Q. How was it taken ? 

A. By the same miraculous interposition of divine 
power. The Israelites were instructed to march in pro- 
cession once a day for six days around the city, the 
priests bearing the Ark, and on the seventh day to 
march seven times around it, and shout at a given sig- 
nal. All this being done accordingly, as they shouted 
and blew their trumpets the walls of Jericho fell to the 
ground, and they entered without difficulty. 

Q. "Were all the inhabitants put to death ? 

A. All, except a woman named Rahab, with her 
family, she having saved the lives of the spies sent to 
view the place. 

Q. What remarkable circumstance occurred at the taking of 
Hai? 

A. The Israelites, on attacking it, were at first de- 
feated with some loss, and when Josue complained in 
prayer that God had forsaken his people, the Almighty 






CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 63 

told him that it was because of the sin of one man, 
who was to be found out by lot next day, and burned, 
with all that belonged to him. 

Q. Who was this man, and what was his offence ? 

A. His name was Achan, a man of the tribe of Juda, 
and his offence was that, in violation of the express 
commandment of God, he had secretly saved for him- 
self at the taking of Jericho, a scarlet robe with some 
gold and silver, whereas all that belonged to the idola- 
ters should have been destroyed. Being found out by 
lot he confessed his crime and was put to death, as God 
had directed. 

Q. "Was the city then taken ? 

A. Yes, the Lord, appeased by the death of Achan, 
delivered it to the Israelites, and permitted them, more- 
over, to divide its spoils among them. 

Q. What did Josue after the taking of Hai ? 

A. He built an altar of unhewn stone, and offered on 
it holocausts and peace offerings as Moses had com- 
manded, wrote the law on stone, and divided the coun- 
try into two districts for the people, placing the Ark 
in the midst, then repeated for them all the blessings 
that should come upon them if they remained faithful 
to the law of him who had done such great things for 
them, and the curses that should follow their infidelity. 

Q. Did the native inhabitants of the land of Canaan submit 
quietly to the Israelites ? 

A. No, they all leagued against them, with the single 



64 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

exception of the Gabaonites, who submitted, and were 
made by Josue the servants of the Israelites. 

Q. Were the other idolatrous nations displeased with the 
Gabaonites for thus submitting to the Israelites ? 

A. They were, and combining their forces once more, 
they made war on the Gabaonites, who sent word to 
Josue, and that great leader marched to their assist- 
ance. 

Q. "What great miracle occurred during this battle ? 

A. As the day was well spent, and the victory not 
yet complete, Josue ordered the sun to stop in his 
course ; the sun obeyed, and stood still in the heavens 
till Josue had routed the enemy, and cut them to 
pieces. 

Q. "Was Josue successful in all his undertakings ? 

A. Yes, he was so successful that in five years after 
crossing the Jordan, he had conquered all the hostile 
nations and the children of Israel rested in peace. 
Josue then divided the land amongst the nine tribes 
and the half tribe of Ephraim. 

Q. "Why was the land divided only amongst nine and a half 
of the twelve tribes ? 

A. Because two and a half w r ere already settled 
beyond the Jordan, and the tribe of Levi had no land 
apportioned to it, being set apart for the service of God, 
and supported by the joint offerings of the other 
tribes. 

Q. How did Josue reward the two and a half tribes from 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 65 

beyond the Jordan, who had assisted their brethren to conquer 
the promised land ? 

A. He sent them home with rich presents to their 
families and possessions. 

Q. What did they do on reaching their possessions ? 

A. They built a high altar as a testimony that they 
and the tribes beyond the Jordan were one and the 
same people. 

Q. How old was Josue when he died, and how long had h# 
governed the people of Israel ? 

A. Josue was a hundred and ten years old when he 
died, and he had governed the Israelites twenty-five 
years. ' 

Q. Whom did God appoint to lead the Israelites to battle, 
after the death of Josue ? 

A. He appointed Caleb, prince of the tribe of Juda, 
a brave and faithful man, who had been sent with 
Josue, by Moses, to view the promised land. 

Q. How long did the Israelites remain faithful to the Lord 
after the death of Josue ? 

A. They remained faithful to the Lord, and to 
their promise solemnly given to Josue at his death, so 
long as the ancients lived amongst them who had seen 
the great wonders of the Lord, but after the death of 
those venerable men they fell into idolatry like the 
nations by whom they were surrounded. 

Q. What was the consequence of their falling into idolatry ? 
A. They were visited with many temporal calami- 
ties, amongst others by a fierce civil war, in which the 

6* 



66 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

tribe of Benjamin was nearly exterminated, and about 
one hundred thousand Israelites were cut off; they 
were also grievously oppressed by the surrounding 
nations. 

Q. By what crime had the Benjamites incurred the special 
displeasure of God ? 

A. By entering into a league with the idolatrous 
Jebusites, for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, burned by 
Caleb, after a great victory over that people. The 
city had fallen to the lot of the Benjamites who en- 
tered, as we have said, into a league with the people of 
the country for its re-building. 

Q. "What form of government did God appoint for the Israel- 
ites after they then returned from idolatry ? 

A. He appointed wise and venerable men, called 
judges, to rule over Israel. 

Q. Who were the principal of these judges ? 
A. The principal of these judges were, Gideon, 
Jephta, Samson, Heli and Samuel. 

Q. "What remarkable person did the Lord raise up about this 
time to deliver the Israelites ? 

A. Deborah, the prophetess, who judged Israel forty 
years. She had for her general, Barac, a valiant war- 
rior of the tribe of Nephtali, who, with the sublime 
inspiration of Deborah's prophetic spirit, conquered all 
the enemies of Israel. 

Q. "Who was Gideon ? 

A. He was a man of the tribe of Man asses, of hum- 
ble origin, but wise and valiant. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 67 

Q. What command did Gideon receive from God ? 

A. To destroy the altar of Baal, and cut down the 
grove that surrounded it, and to offer holocausts to 
God. 

Q. "What did the idolaters of that place when they discovered 
next day what Gideon had done ? 

A. They assembled in great numbers, and going to 
Gideon's house, demanded that his father should give 
him up, that they might put him to death as an ex- 
piation of his crime against their God Baal. 

Q. Did Gideon's father consent to give him up ? 

A. No; he refused to do so, saying, "Let Baal re- 
venge himself, if he be able." On this account, Gideon 
was surnamed Jerobaal. 

Q. "What remarkable circumstance occurred on one occasion 
when Gideon was going forth with the Israelites to encounter a 
much larger force of idolaters ? 

A. He besought God to give him as a sign of vic- 
tory that the fleece he laid on the ground might be 
saturated with dew, whilst the ground about it remained 
dry. He found in the morning that his prayer had 
been granted ; but desiring yet another proof, he beg- 
ged of God that next morning the fleece might be dry, 
and the ground wet, which was also done as he de- 
sired. 

Q. What did Gideon then do ? 

A. Being fully assured by these two miracles that 
the God of Israel would assist his people, he fearlessly 
led his army against the enemy's host. 



68 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. Did God permit Gideon to take his whole army, 32,000 
strong? 

A. No ; being desirous to show the Israelites that 
it was not by their own strength they conquered, but 
by his omnipotent power, he only permitted three hun- 
dred men to follow Gideon to the field, and this little 
band routed the immense army of the pagans without 
a blow, but merely by the continued sounding of their 
trumpets, their battle-cry being, " The sword of the 
Lord and Gideon." 

Q. What is related of Jephta, one of the judges? 

A. When called by God to lead the army of Israel 
against the Ammonites and Philistines, he vowed that 
if he obtained a victory, he would offer as a holocaust 
to the God of battles the first who should come forth 
from his house to meet him on his return. 

Q. What was the result ? 

A. He defeated the enemy with great slaughter, and 
returning home, it was his only daughter who came 
forth to meet and welcome him ; in fulfilment of his 
vow, he was forced to offer her in sacrifice to the 
Lord, the price of his great victory. 

Q. "Who was the next remarkable person 4hat ruled Israel as 
judge ? 

A. Samson, of the tribe of Dan, who was consecrated 
to God from his birth, and was a man of great strength. 
Samson judged Israel twenty years. 

Q. What were the most famous exploits of Samson ? 
A. On one occasion he encountered a furious lion, 
and, though wholly unarmed, tore him to pieces. At 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 69 

another time, when surrounded by an army of Philis- 
tines, he seized the jaw-bone of an ass, and slew a 
thousand of the enemy, putting the remainder to flight. 
On another occasion, when the Philistines had offered 
some new insult to the people of God, Samson caught 
three hundred foxes, and tying lighted torches to 
their tails, sent them in amongst the corn and vine- 
yards of the Philistines. 

Q. How did Samson die ? 

A. Being wickedly betrayed into the hands of the 
Philistines, and having lost his strength by the cutting 
of his hair while he slept, he was imprisoned, and had 
his eyes pulled out. As his hair grew, however, his 
strength returned, and being brought forth by the 
Philistines for the amusement of the company assem- 
bled in a vast hall, he laid hold of two of the great 
pillars which supported the roof, and praying to God, 
" Let me die with the Philistines," he shook the pil- 
lars, the roof fell, and Samson, with three thousand of 
the enemy, was buried under the walls. 

Q. Who ruled Israel after the death of Samson ? 
A. The high priest Heli. 

Q. "What have you to relate of Heli ? 

A. Heli was remarkable for his piety and virtue; but 
he had two sons, Ophni and Phinees, who became, by 
the too great indulgence of their father, very depraved, 
and gave grievous scandal to the people of Israel. 

Q. "Was God displeased with Heli for his criminal indulgence? 
A. He was ; and in punishment thereof, he per . 



70 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

mitted the Jewish army to be utterly defeated ; the sons 
of Heli, who carried the Ark, to be slain, with thirty 
thousand Israelites, and the Ark itself to fall into the 
hands of the Philistines. On hearing these dismal tid- 
ings, the aged Heli fell backwards, and broke his neck, 
being then ninety-eight years old. 

Q. What became of the Ark ? 

A. It was placed by the Philistines in the temple of 
Dagon, but next day they found their idol broken on 
the ground. The Philistines were, at the same time, 
so grievously afflicted by the hand of God, that they 
were glad to get rid of the Ark, and sent it back to 
the Israelites. It was placed in the house of a Levite 
named Aminadab, upon whose family it drew down all 
manner of blessings. 

Q. "Who was the last judge of Israel ? 

A. The prophet Samuel, who had, like Samson, been 
consecrated to God from his youth. He governed 
Israel with great wisdom, acting ever in accordance 
with the Spirit of God. 

Q. "Who ruled in Israel after Samuel ? 
A. Saul, the first king of Israel. 

Q. "Why did the people desire to have kings instead of 
judges ? 

A. When Samuel had become very old the govern- 
ment devolved on his two sons, who administered jus- 
tice unfairly, and took bribes for their decisions, where- 
upon the people began to demand a king to rule over 
them as other nations had. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY 7l 

Q. "Was God pleased with their demand ? 

A. No ; be commanded Samuel to represent to them 

«how much greater and more despotic would be the 
power of a king, and how heavily he might oppress 
them ; but finding that they still persisted, he instructed 
Samuel to anoint Saul, son of Cis, of the tribe of Ben- 
jamin, as their first king. Samuel then assembled the 
people to draw lots for the sovereignty, when the choice 
fell on Saul. 

Q. Was Saul's reign prosperous ? 

A. The first three years were very prosperous. He 
defeated the Ammonites and the Philistines, also the 
Amalekites, but having, contrary to the express com- 
mand of God, spared Agag, the king of the Amale- 
kites, with the finest of the flocks of that people, 
Samuel announced to him that he was rejected by God, 
and that his family should not continue to reign in 
Israel. 

Q. "What remarkable words did Samuel make use of on that 
occasion ? 

A. Saul having said, in order to excuse himself, that 
he had only kept the flocks of the Amalekites for the 
purpose of offering them in sacrifice, Samuel declared 
to him that obedience was better than sacrifice, and 
repeated the decree of God against him and his family. 

Q. What command did God give to Samuel whilst ho 
mourned for the sin of Saul ? 

A. He commanded him to go to Bethlehem, and 
anoint as king, a youth named David, the youngest of 



72 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

seven brothers, of the tribe of Juda, who was found by 
the prophet tending his father's sheep. Him did 
Samuel anoint as king, and the Spirit of God, forsaking 
Saul, came upon David. 

Q. What affliction then befel Saul ? 

A. He was seized with an evil Spirit, which only the 
sound of music could soothe, and David being recon> 
mended as an excellent player on the harp, was sent 
for, and so charmed the king by the harmony of music 
that he made him his armor-bearer. 

Q. "What great exploit was achieved by David soon after this 
appointment ? 

A. When the army of the Philistines and that of 
the Israelites, lay encamped opposite each other, pre- 
paring for a decisive battle, a Philistine named Goliah, a 
man of gigantic size, advanced between the two armies 
and scornfully challenged any man amongst the Israel- 
ites to meet him in single combat, and thus decide the 
contest. This challenge he repeated for forty days, 
and, no one having courage to accept it, Saul proposed 
to give his daughter in marriage to him who would en- 
counter the giant Goliah. Thereupon David accepted 
the challenge, fought with Goliah, and killed him, 
though armed only with a sling. 

Q. What did David say when Goliah, seeing him advance, ridi- 
culed his youth, and the simple weapon that was his only defence ? 

A. David said, " You come to me, trusting in your 
armor, but I come to you in the name of the Lord o< 
Hosts." 






CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. *3 

Q. How did David slay Goliah ? 

A Putting a stone in his sling, he struck the giant 
on the forehead, when he fell to the ground, and David 
cut off his head, seeing which the whole army of the 
Philistines fled in dismay. 

Q. How did Saul requite this great service ? 

H. He requited it ty the blackest ingratitude, and 
was so filled with envy by the fame David had acquired; 
that he sought occasion to put him to death. 

Q. Were Saul's family all actuated by the same feeing to- 
wards David? 

A. No, Jonathan, the son of Saul, loved David as a 
brother, and they swore perpetual friendship to each 
other. 

Q. Did Saul give David his daughter in marriage, according 
to promise ? 

A. He did, but not his eldest daughter, whom he 
married to another, and it was only after several extra- 
ordinary feats of valor that David succeeded in ob- 
taining the hand of Michol, the younger daughter of 
Saul. 

Q. Did Saul then become reconciled to David ? 

A. No, he still secretly plotted against his life, so 
that David had many narrow escapes from the emis- 
saries of his vindictive father-in-law. 

Q. Did David cherish the same hatred towards Saul ? 

A. No, David, being a man after God's own heart, 
pitied Saul, instead of hating him, and took every op- 
portunity that offered of returning him good for evil.. 

7 



74 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. Mention one instance of David's magnanimous forgive- 
ness? 

A. At one time Saul happened to enter alone a cave 
where David lay concealed with his followers, who 
urged him to kill his enemy and thus get rid of him 
at once, but David would not suffer them to lay hands 
on the Lord's anointed, and merely cut off a small 
piece of the king's garment, which, calling after him 
he showed, in order to prove that he bore him no ill 
will. This was not the only occasion on which David 
saved the life of Saul, whom he knew to be his deadlv 
foe. 

Q. Did this generous conduct on the part of David soften 
Saul towards him ? 

A. No, he still pursued him with unrelenting ani- 
mosity, so that David was at length obliged to take 
refuge with Achis, king of the Philistines. 

Q. How did Saul die ? 

A. He died fighting against the Philistines, he and 
his two sons, at the famous battle of Gilboe. 

Q. How was David affected by the news of Saul's death ? 

A. He was much grieved, and ordered the man who 
brought the news, to be put to death, because he said 
he had killed Saul, hoping to please David. 

Q. "Was David acknowledged as king by all the Israelites ? 

A. No, for the space of over seven years, he was en- 
gaged in a contest with Isboseth, a son of Saul, who 
was made king, by Abner, general of Saul's army. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. T5 

Isboseth and Abner being both slain, however, David 
was acknowledged as king by all the people. 

Q. Who was general of David's army ? 
A. Joab, a brave and loyal man, but harsh and im- 
perious even to his king. 

Q. "What place did David choose for his royal residence ? 

A. The castle of Sion, in Jerusalem, which he had 
before taken from the Jebusites ; around this strong- 
hold he built a city which he called the city of David. 

Q. Did David overcome the Philistines? 

A. Yes, by the assistance of God he gained a de- 
cisive victory over them, so that they were never able 
to trouble him more. 

Q. "What was David's first care on finding himself in peace- 
able possession of his kingdom ? 

A. His first care was to promote the glory of God, 
and establish divine worship with becoming splendor. 
He, therefore, intended to convey the Ark from its 
temporary resting-place to the royal city. 

Q. Did he accomplish this design ? 

A. No ; he was deterred from doing so by the fate 
of a Levite named Oza, who, during the removal of 
the Ark to Jerusalem, seeing it leaning to one side, 
feared that it might fall from the chariot whereon it 
was placed, and, in violation of the law, put forth his 
hand to sustain it, whereupon he was struck dead in 
front of the Ark. David, seeing this, feared to receive 
the Ark into his. palace, but placed it at the house of 
Obededom. 



76 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. How long did the Ark remain in the house of Obededom ? 

A. It remained there three months, when David, 
hearing of the wonderful blessings it had drawn down 
on Obededom and all his house, was encouraged to 
bring it to Jerusalem, according to his former in- 
tention. 

Q. What design did David form in order to honor God more 
effectually and more lastingly ? 

A. He formed the design of building a temple to 
God, as it grieved him to think that the Ark of the 
Covenant rested in a Tabernacle covered with skins, 
whilst he himself dwelt in a palace of cedar. 

Q. Who was his counsellor in this matter ? 

A. The prophet Nathan. It so happened, however, 
that the Lord spoke to Nathan by night, and admon- 
ished him to tell David that the building of the Tem- 
ple was reserved for his son Solomon, whose reign was 
to be one of unbroken peace. 

Q. What war did David afterwards wage? 

A. A war against the Ammonites, during which war 
he made himself guilty of the double crime of adultery 
and murder. 

Q. Whom did the Lord send to rebuke David for these 
crimes ? 

A. He sent the prophet Nathan, who having brought 
him to sincere repentance, announced to him on the 
part of God that his sins were pardoned, but that, 
nevertheless, he should be punished for them by severe 
temporal afflictions. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 77 

Q. How was this prediction fulfilled ? 

A. By the continual warfare in which David spent 
the remaining twenty years of his life ; by the rebel- 
lion and violent death of his favorite son Absalom, 
which was followed by another rebellion of a Benja- 
mite named Siba, who withdrew all the tribes except 
that of Juda from their allegiance to David. 

Q. TVhen peace was again restored in the land, what folly on 
the part of David incurred the divine displeasure ? 

A. David, through a motive of vanity, issued orders 
for a general census, being desirous to know the num- 
ber of his people. 

Q. How was David punished ? 

A. By a plague which the Lord sent amongst the 
people of Israel, which in three days killed seventy 
thousand of them. 

Q. "What did David when he saw the people thus punished 
for his sins ? 

A. Clothed in sackcloth and ashes, he prostrated 
himself before God, beseeching him to pour down his 
wrath on him who was alone guilty, but to spare his 
people who were innocent. 

Q. Did the Lord hear David's prayer ? 
A. Yes ; the Lord ever merciful to the repenting 
sinner, commanded the destroying angel to stop. 

Q. "Where did the angel stop ? 

A. Over the threshing-floor of Arenna, the Jebusite, 
on the top of Mount Moria, in Jerusalem, where David, 
by God's command, erected an altar of sacrifice ; wa 

7* 



78 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORT. 

this spot was afterwards built the great Temple of 
Jerusalem. 

Q. By whom was David succeeded on the throne of Israel ? 

A. David was succeeded by his sou Solomon, whom 
he caused to be anointed and proclaimed king. He 
then commended his son to the faithful and loyal ser- 
vice of all his friends and courtiers, and obtained their 
promise to assist him in the great work of building the 
Temple, for which he had himself collected vast ma- 
terials. 

Q. Did Solomon encounter any opposition? 

A. Yes; one of his brothers, named Ad onias, would 
have himself made king, being supported in his unjust 
pretensions by the valiant Joab ; but, after a second 
attempt on their part, Solomon, having forgiven the 
first, he ordered both to be put to death, after which 
he reigned in peace. 

Q. Whom did Solomon marry ? 

A. He married a daughter of Pharoah, king of 
Egypt, very soon after his father's death. 

Q. For what was Solomon chiefly remarkable ? 

A. For his great and supereminent wisdom, which 
was a special gift from God, at his own earnest request. 
So great was the renown of his wisdom throughout all 
the East, that the queen of Saba came from the far- 
thest part of Ethiopia to see for herself if his wisdom 
were such as it was represented. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 79 

FIFTH AGE OF THE WORLD, 

EMBRACING ABOUT 470 YEARS. 

Q. What was the great work of Solomon's reign ? 

A. The building of the Temple projected by his 
father David, and which Solomon commenced in the 
fourth year of his reign, four hundred and eighty years 
after the entrance of the Israelites into the land of 
promise. 

Q. How was the Temple constructed ? 

A. It was constructed on the plan of the Tabernacle 
made by Moses in the desert, and none but the most 
costly materials were employed in its erection. The 
Temple, like the Tabernacle, was divided into two parts. 
The Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies, wherein was 
placed the Ark of the Covenant. In the middle of the 
inner part called the Holy of Holies, stood an altar of 
gold, called the altar of perfumes. 

Q. Describe the Holy of Holies ? 

A. It was lined throughout with the finest gold, and 
over that part in which the Ark was placed, were two 
cherubim covered with gold, with extended wings, and 
of such a size that the outer wing of each reached to 
the wall, whilst the other two joined in the centre over 
the Ark. 

Q. How long was Solomon building the Temple ? 

A. Seven years ; during which time two hundred 



80 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

thousand men were constantly employed, and vast sums 
were expended on the work. 

Q. Who was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies ? 
A. The high priest only, and he but once a year, 
and after many legal rites. 

Q. Of what was this entrance of the high priest into the Holy 
of Holies a figure ? 

A. It was a figure of the great atonement of Our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the oblation of whose 
precious blood was prefigured by the offerings of the 
blood of victims. 

Q. What did Solomon when the Temple was finished in all its 
parts ? 

A. He assembled the princes of Israel, the ancients, 
and the heads of families to assist at the dedication, 
and the solemn translation of the Ark to the place 
destined for its reception in the Holy of Holies. 

Q. In what way did the Lord manifest his acceptance of the 
homage paid him on that solemn occasion ? 

A. When the priests came out from the Sanctuary, 
after placing the Ark in the Holy of Holies, and all had 
united in singing a canticle of praise, the glory of the 
Lord filled the whole temple as a cloud, so that the 
priests could not stand to minister. 

Q. What were the characteristics of Solomon's reign ? 

A. The characteristics of Solomon's reign were uni- 
versal peace, and great abundance, not only of the ne- 
cessaries of life, but of all manner of luxuries, gold 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 81 

and silver being so common that they were of little 
value amongst the people. 

Q. Did Solomon always continue faithful to God ? 

A. No, in his advanced life he married idolatrous 
wives, and to please them built temples and altars to 
tkeir gods, to which he himself even offered incense, 
forgetful of the great God of heaven and earth who 
had so wonderfully manifested his power on behalf of 
his people and his house. 

Q. How did God punish this great sin of Solomon's ? 

A. By permitting his kingdom to be divided, the 
greater part given to Jeroboam, a servant of Solomon, 
and only a small portion to remain subject to his de- 
scendants. The execution of this, sentence God de- 
layed till after Solomon's death, on account of his 
father David. 

Q. How long did Solomon reign ? 

A. Solomon reigned thirty-seven years from the 
death of his father David. 

Q. By whom was Solomon succeeded ? 

A. By his son Roboam, a harsh and tyrannical man, 
who so oppressed the people of Israel that, in accord- 
ance with the prediction made to Solomon, ten of the 
tribes revolted, and made Jeroboam king over them. 
The tribes of Juda and Benjamin, alone remained sub- 
ject to him. 

Q. Did Roboam make any efforts to recover what he had 
lost? 

A. Yes, he assembled an army of chosen men, and 



82 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

was proceeding to make war on the revolted tribes, 
but was admonished by Semeias, a holy man sent by 
God, that what had happened was by the divine ap- 
pointment, in punishment of Solomon's apostacy. 
Roboam then submitted to the divine decree, and his 
kingdom was from that time called the kingdom of 
Juda, whereas that of Jeroboam was styled the king- 
dom of Israel. 

Q. How did the tribe of Levi act on the secession of the ten 
tribes ? 

A. Finding that Jeroboam would not permit them 
to exercise their functions, the Levites gave up their 
possessions amongst the ten revolted tribes, and went to 
dwell in Juda and Jerusalem. 

Q. Did Roboam continue all his life faithful to God ? 

A. No, after three years of fidelity to God, during 
which he and his people prospered exceedingly, Ro- 
boam fell into idolatry, as his father had done before. 

Q. How was he punished ? 

A. By the invasion of his kingdom by Sesac, king of 
Egypt, who took several cities of Juda, and even en- 
tered Jerusalem, which he sacked and plundered, but 
Almighty God, being softened by the repentance and 
humiliation of Roboam and the princes, did not permit 
Sesac to destroy the Holy City. 

Q. How long did Roboam reign ? 

A. Roboam reigned seventeen years, and died at the 
age of fifty-eight. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY". 83 

Q. Who succeeded Roboam on the throne of Israel ? 
A. Roboara was succeeded by his son Abias, who 
reigned only three years. 

Q. What have you to remark of Abias ? 

A. In the beginning of his reign being attacked by 
Jeroboam with an army twice the number of his, 
Abias gained a great victory by invoking the assistance 
of God, but having fallen into sin, he was cut off bv 
divine justice, although, for David's sake, his son Asa 
was permitted to succeed him. 

Q. What was the character of Asa ? 

A. Asa was a good and pious king. In his time, 
idolatry was banished from the land of Juda, and the 
divine worship re-established in all its splendor. For 
this Asa was rewarded by a long and prosperous reign, 
and by a signal victory over Zara, king of the Ethiop- 
ians. Asa was, nevertheless, guilty of some faults, es- 
pecially towards the close of his life, which incurred 
the divine displeasure, and the prophet Hanani was 
sent to rebuke him. 

Q. Who succeeded Asa ? 

A. His son Josaphat, a wise and virtuous prince, 
who had the happiness of persevering to the end of his 
life in the fai-hful service of God. The consequence 
was that he was respected at home and abroad, that 
none of the neighboring princes dared attack him, and 
that God otherwise rewarded the fidelity of this holy 
king by unbroken peace and prosperity amongst his 
people. 



84 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. Did Jeroboam continue to worship the true God after ob- 
taining the sovereignty of the ten tribes ? 

A. No, he soon forgot the Lord who had exalted 
him, banished the Levites by his oppression of them, 
and set up idols, for which he made priests, and at 
whose altars he sometimes officiated himself; by his ex- 
ample he drew the greater part of his people into 
idolatry which drew down upon them the divine ven- 
geance, and so caused their ruin. 

Q. By what act did Jeroboam still further excite the wrath 
of God against him? 

A. Fearing that his people might return to their al- 
legiance to the royal house of David, if suffered to go 
to Jerusalem for sacrifice, Jeroboam set up two golden 
calves, one in Dan, the other in Bethel, to which he 
offered sacrifice with the same solemnities as those 
used in the Temple of Jerusalem, and told the people 
to go no more to Jerusalem, for that these were the 
gods who had brought them out of the land of 
Egypt. 

Q. How was Jeroboam's wickedness punished ? 

A. A prophet of God predicted that his race should 
be exterminated, which occurred about a year after his 
death when his son and successor Nadab was put to 
death with his whole family. 

Q. "Who succeeded the good king Josaphat on the throne of 
Juda? 

A. His eldest son Joram, a wicked and impious 
prince, who married Athalia, daughter of Achab, the 
contemporary king of Israel, and with her became an 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 85 

idolater. He slew all his brethren, and established 
idolatry in his kingdom. 

Q. Whom did the Lord send to rebuke Jorara for his grievous 
iniquity, and foretell his approaching doom ? 

A. The prophet Elias, who foretold that he was soon 
to die of a painful and lingering disease, which came to 
pass in the eighth year of his reign. 

Q. Where was Joram buried ? 

A. He was buried in the city of David, but without 
honors, and not in the royal sepulchre of the house of 
David. 

Q. Who was Joram's successor on the throne of Juda ? 

A. His only surviving son Ochozias, as wicked and 
impious as his father ; he reigned but one year, being 
cut off with all his attendants, by Jehu, when on his 
way to visit his idolatrous kinsman, the king of Israel. 

Q. What did Athalia, the mother of Ochozias, after the death 
of her son ? 

A. She ordered all his children to be slain, and took 
possession of the throne of Juda. 

Q. Was this wicked queen suffered to reign in peace ? 

A. No ; the Almighty, having a care over the house 
of David, and in order to perpetuate the race from 
which the Messiah was to come, saved one of the chil- 
dren of Ochozias, named Joas, from the general mas- 
sacre. This prince, by the aid of the high priest and 
other powerful friends, succeeded in recovering the 
throne of Juda, and the unnatural mother of his father 
paid with her life the forfeit of her atrocious crimes. 

8 



86 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. Did Joas remain faithful to the Lord ? 

A. He did remain faithful so long as Joiada the 
high priest lived, but after Joiada's death, Joas chose 
evil counsellors, and unhappily fell into idolatry. 

Q. What ungrateful and wicked act was done by Joas soon 
after the death of the high priest? 

A. Zacharias, the son of Joiada, having admonished 
Joas of his sin in forsaking the service of God for that 
of idols, the wicked king caused him to be stoned to 
death in/the court of the Temple. 

Q. What was the end of Joas ? 

A. He was murdered by two of his own servants, 
after a long but troubled reign, during the latter part 
of which God permitted him to be harassed by the Assy- 
rians, because he had forsaken his service. Joas, like 
his grandfather Jo ram, was not buried in the royal 
sepulchre of Juda. 

Q. What kings reigned in Israel during the time that Josaphat, 
Joram, Ochozias, and Joas reigned in Juda ? 

A. Achab, Ochozias, Joram, Jehu, and Joachas. 

Q. Who was the wife of Achab ? 

A. A very wicked woman named Jezabel, and Achab 
was no better than his wife, for what none of his pre- 
decessors had dared to do, he began to worship Baal. 

Q. What was the end of Achab and Jezabel ? 

A. Achab was killed in battle, and Jezabel, thirteen 
years after, was thrown from a window by the orders 
of Jehu, and devoured by dogs in the place where she 
fell, all of which had been predicted for them by the 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 87 

prophet Elias, when sent by God to rebuke them for 
their crimes. 

Q. What did the prophet Elias, when he saw that idolatry 
was prevailing in Hie land of Israel, where he dwelt ? . 

A. By his prayers, he prevented rain from falling 
for three whole years, so that a famine came upon the 
land, and there was much suffering amongst the 
people. 

Q. Hw was Elias fed during this famine? 

A. He was at first miraculously fed by ravens, that 
carried him food morning and evening, and afterwards 
by a poor widow, inspired by God to do so. 

Q. "Whither did Elias flee to avoid the vengeance of Jezabel, 
when, by his command, the people had put her false prophets to 
death? 

A. He fled to Mount Horeb, by the direction of an 
angel, who gave him miraculous food which enabled 
him to walk for forty days and forty nights across the 
desert. 

Q. Of what was this miraculous food a type ? 

A. It was a type of the blessed Eucharist, which 
alone gives strength and courage to our souls during 
the trials and vicissitudes of our earthly pilgrimage. 

Q. Did Elias die ? 

A. No ; he was taken up alive into heaven in a fiery 
chariot, and is to come down before the end of the 
world to bear testimony of God and his Christ, and 
assist the faithful in their struggle against the power 
of x\ntkhrist. 



88 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. On whom did the spirit of Elias descend ? 

A. On his disciple Eliseus, on whom he let his cloak 
fall as he ascended into heaven. Like his master Elias, 
Eliseus worked many splendid miracles, one of which 
was raising a dead child to life, the son of a poor 
widow. 

Q. What have you to relate concerning the bones of the pro- 
phet Eliseus? 

A. A dead man was raised to life by being accident- 
ally placed in contact with the bones of the holy pro- 
phet in his sepulchre. 

Q. "Who succeeded Joas in the kingdom of Juda? 

A. His son Amasias, who, like his father, served God 
during the earlier part of his reign, but fell into the 
same sinful ways in his later years. 

Q. What befel Amasias ? 

A. He had been prosperous so long as he served God, 
but having forsaken him for the idols of the nations 
whom he conquered by his divine aid, he was deserted 
by God, and signally defeated by Joas, king of Israel, 
who demolished part of the walls of Jerusalem, and 
carried off the treasures of the Temple. 

Q. What great prophet lived during the reign of Amasias, 
under Jeroboam II., king of Israel ? 
A. The prophet Jonas. 

Q. What is related of Jonas ? 

A. He had been commanded by God to go preach 
to the idolatrous people of Nineveh, and threaten their 
city with destruction, unless they repented and did 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 80 

penance for their crimes. Jonas, being afraid to un- 
dertake this dangerous mission, thought to avoid it by 
sailing to Tharsis ; but the ship in which he embarked 
had scarcely set sail, when a great storm arose, and 
the crew, having cast lots to see who on board had ex- 
cited the wrath of God, the lot fell on Jonas, who was 
immediately thrown into the sea. 

Q. "What then befel Jonas? 

A. He was swallowed by an enormous whale, in 
whose belly he remained three days and three nights, 
during which time he ceased not to bewail his dis- 
obedience, and invoke the mercy of God, who gra- 
ciously hearing his prayer, caused the whale to cast 
him on shore. 

Q. Did Jonas then obey the Lord's command ? 

A. Yes, he obeyed, and going to Niniveh, preached 
so efficaciously to the people of that great city, that 
from the king to the meanest of his subjects, they all 
did penance in sack-cloth and ashes, whereupon God, 
who only desired their conversion, forgave them their 
manifold offences, and spared their city. 

Q What was prefigured by the imprisonment of Jonas in the 
whale's belly, and his miraculous coming forth after three days? 

A. The burial of our divine Lord in the Sepulchre, 
and his glorious resurrection on the third day. 

Q. "Whafc remarkable occurrences took place during the twelve 
years of an interregnum that followed the death of Amaziaa ? 

A. Nabuchodonosor, first king of Niniveh, having 
founded the empire of Assyria, by the conquest of 

8* 



90 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

many nations, elated with success, undertook to bring 
the people of God also into subjection. For this pur- 
pose he sent Holofernes, the general of his armies, with 
a hundred thousand men, to besiege Bethulia, a city of 
Juda. 

Q. By whom was Holofernes slain ? 

A. By Judith a young and wealthy widow of Be- 
thulia, a woman of extraordinary piety and virtue. 
Seeing that her people w 7 ere about to yield to the 
mighty power of the Assyrians, Judith conceived the 
design of slaying Holofernes, the Assyrian general, 
which she accomplished by means of an ingenious 
stratagem, and cutting off the head of the tyrant, 
brought it under her cloak to Bethulia. 

Q. "What was the result of Judith's perilous exploit ? 

A. Encouraged by the sight of the head, and the 
exhortations of Judith and the chief men of their city, 
the Bethulians determined to resist, and, aided by God, 
they fought the Assyrians and totally defeated them, 
leaving their camp, with all its luxurious wealth, to the 
victorious people of Juda. 

Q. "What king reigned next in Juda ? 

A. Azarias, sometimes called Osias, the son of Ama- 
zias; he was only sixteen years of age when he as- 
cended the throne, but he reigned fifty-two years, dur- 
ing which time he fortified Jerusalem, built several 
cities, and prospered in all his undertakings. 

Q. Did this prosperity continue? 

A. No, Osias, elated with his great prosperity, in- 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 91 

sisted on offering incense himself, in the temple, con- 
trary to the earnest advice of the high priest ; there- 
upon he was immediately stricken with a leprosy from 
which he never recovered. 

Q. What kings reigned in Israel whilst Amazias and Osias 
occupied the throne of Juda ? 

A. Joas, Jeroboam II, Zacharias, Sellum, Manahem, 
and Phaceia. With Sellum ended the race of Jehu, 
to whom God had announced by one of his prophets 
that his family should rule in Israel to the fourth gen- 
eration. 

Q. "Who succeeded Osias (or Azarias) king of Juda ? 

A. His son Joathan, a good and pious king. Dur- 
ing a prosperous reign of sixteen years he built a num- 
ber of cities, ornamented the temple, and brought the 
warlike Ammonites into subjection. 

Q. By whom was Joathan succeeded ? 

A. By his son Achaz, who, unlike his father was a 
wicked and idolatrous king. He removed the sacred 
vessels from the Temple, which he closed, and built 
altars to idols in various parts of the city of Jerusalem. 
In punishment of his crimes he was grievously ha- 
rassed by the surrounding nations, and died impeni- 
tent after a reign of sixteen years. 

Q. Who was the next king of Juda ? 

A. Ezechias son of Achaz, a prince of extraordinary 
virtue and piety, and wholly devoted to the service of 
God. He re-opened the temple which his impious 



92 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

father had closed, caused it to be purified, and invited 
all the children of Israel to celebrate the Pasch, 

Q. Did the people of Israel unite with their brethren of Juda 
In that solemn act of worship ? 

A. Many of them did, although the majority of 
them mocked the holy king, and despised his invita- 
tion ; but all Juda joined with one heart in the cele- 
bration, and the Pasch was solemnised with more 
splendor than it had been from the days of Solomon. 

Q. "What else did Ezechias to promote true religion and re- 
establish divine worship ? 

A. He assembled the priests and Levites, who had 
been totally dispersed, and restored the ancient obser- 
vances of religion according to the divine ordinance. 

Q. Was the reign of Ezechias a prosperous one ? 

A. It was exceedingly prosperous. The people of 
Juda encouraged by their king's example, and guided 
by his wise precepts, obtained peace and tranquillity at 
home, whilst abroad their arms prevailed, the cities 
they had lost were all recovered, and their country 
shook off the heavy yoke of the Assyrians, under 
which it had groaned from the time of Achaz. 

Q. "What kings reigned in Israel during the reign of Joathan 
and the first years of that of Ezechias in Juda ? 

A. Phacee and Osee ; the former of these reigned 
twenty years. 

Q. "What remarkable event occurred during the reign of 
Phacee ? 

A. Theglathphalasar, kiug of Assyria, invaded Israel 
and carried away a great number of captives. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 93 

Q. Who was the next and last king of Israel ? 

A. Osee, who had murdered Phacee nine years 
'before. For the last six years of his unhappy reign, 
Osee was the contemporary of the good king Ezechias. 

Q. Can you tell how the kingdom of Israel came to an end ? 

A. Osee, having attempted to throw off the yoke of 
the Assyrians to whom he had been obliged to pay 
tribute, was deprived of his kingdom by Salmanasar, 
who invaded the country, took Samaria, its chief city, 
after a siege of three years, and utterly abolishing the 
kingdom of Israel, led its people into captivity in Nini- 
veh and in Media. 

Q. How did Salmanasar re-people the land of Israel ? 

A. By sending idolaters from Babylon and other 
parts of his vast dominions ; by the advice of his coun- 
sellors, he sent priests to instruct these people in the 
law of God, but they uniting the worship of the true 
God with that of their idols, their descendants worship- 
ped both, and the Jews were forbidden to hold com- 
munication with them. 

Q. How long had the kingdom of Israel existed ? 

A. Two hundred and sixty years, counting from the 
secession of the ten tribes under Jeroboam, till the final 
destruction of the monarchy and the Assyrian cap- 

itivity, in the ninth year of the reign of Osee. 

I 

Q. "What had been the prevailing sin of the kings and peoplo 

pf Israel ? 

A. Their prevailing sin was the heinous one of idola-. 
try, which, from the first foundation of the monarchy, 



94 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

by Jeroboam, had been openly professed, and all but 
universally practised. 

Q. Were there no true believers amongst the people of Israel 
after their separation from Juda ? 

A. Yes ; bat they were at all times comparatively 
few ; for, more than a century before the fall of Israel, 
there were only seven thousand worshippers of the 
true God to be found in all tho land. 

Q. Did Almighty God utterly abandon these revolted tribes 
of the Israelites to their own evil ways ? 

A. No ; being desirous to save them if possible, on 
account of their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he 
raised up amongst them at divers times holy men, pro- 
phets, whom he sent to rebuke them for their iniqui- 
ties, and warn them of the terrible punishment which 
their continued infidelity would draw down upon them ; 
but they would not hear the prophets. 

Q. "What prophets lived in Juda and Israel from the reign of 
Amazias in Juda, and Jeroboam II. in Israel, to the Babylonian 
captivity ? 

A. Jonas, Amos, Osee, Isaias, Micheas, Joel, and 
Abdias. Osee and Isaias prophesied for nearly an hun- 
dred years: Osee in Israel, Isaias in Juda. All the 
others lived and prophesied, some in Israel and some 
in Juda. 

Q. Of what did Isaias prophesy ? 

A. Amongst other things, he foretold the Assyrian 
captivity, and of all the prophets, he most clearly pre- 
dicted the coming of our Divine Redeemer, his life, 
and also his passion, even its most minute details. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 95 

Q. "What holy man lived in Israel at the time of the cap- 
tivity? 

A. Tobias, whose family history is preserved in one 
of the books of the Old Testament, which bears his 
name. 

Q. Who was Tobias ? 

A. Tobias was a just and holy man of the tribe of 
Nephtali, who had never denied himself with idolatry 
or superstition, w 7 as faithful to God from his youth up- 
wards, and went every year to Jerusalem to offer sac- 
rifice. His wife aud their only son, called, like his 
father, Tobias, were as faithful as himself in the service 
of God, and their piety drew down miraculous favors 
from heaven upon their house. 

Q. How did God interpose his almighty power between the 
good king Ezechas of Juda, and the Assyrian army under Sen- 
nacherib ? 

A. Moved by the prayer of the holy king, the Lord 
sent an angel into the camp of the Assyrians, and slew 
in one night one hundred and eighty-five thousand of 
their bravest soldiers, including all their chief officers. 

Q. Did this save Jerusalem ? 

A. Yes; Sennacherib was obliged to fly in haste 
with the remnant of his army, and was soon after slain 
by his own sons in the temple of his idol at Niniveh. 

Q. "What great prophet was counsellor to Ezechias ? 

A. Isaias, who began to prophesy in the reign of 
Azarias, and continued during the reigns of Joathan, 
Achaz, and Ezechias. Ezechias having fallen danger- 
ously ill, prayed earnestly to God that his life might 



96 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

be spared, when the Lord commanded Isaias to tell 
him that he had heard his prayer, and that his life 
should be prolonged for fifteen years. 

Q. What tsign did God give in proof of the fulfillment of this 
promise ? 

A. At the prayer of Isaias, the Lord made the sha- 
dow go back ten degrees on the sun-dial. 

Q. What imprudent act did Ezechias commit soon after? 

A. Ambassadors being sent to him from the king of 
Babylon, to congratulate him on his recovery, Ezechias 
took occasion, through pride, to display his treasures 
before them. 

Q. What was the result ? 

A. Isaias was sent by God to announce to Ezechias 
that those very treasures should be seized and carried 
to Babylon ; but at the earnest supplication of the king 
the sentence was not executed in his day. 

Q. By whom was Ezechias succeeded ? 

A. By his son Manasses, an impious and cruel prince, 
who built up again the idolatrous temples which his 
father had destroyed; and carried his audacious impiety 
so far as to erect idols in and around the Temple; he 
also put to death a great number of just persons. 

Q. What eminent personage is said to have been amongst 
these victims of the cruelty of Manasses ? 

A. The greaf*prophet Isaias, who, according to Jew- 
ish tradition was sawed in two by order of this wicked 
prince, for having reproached him with his enormous 
crimes. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 97 

Q. Did Manasses continue his wicked courses to the end of 
his life ? 

A. No, being taken at length and carried captive to 
Babylon, where he was made to undergo much suffer- 
ing and humiliation, Manasses began, in his distress, to 
invoke the assistance of God, and becoming sincerely 
contrite for his sins, the merciful God heard his prayers 
and restored him to his kingdom, when he cast out all 
the idols, and re-established the worship of God. 

Q. "Who succeeded Manasses ? 

A. His son Araon, who imitated his father in his 
wickedness, but not in his repentance or expiation. 

Q. "Who followed Amon on the throne of Juda ? 

A. Josias, a good and pious prince, who not only 
restored the worship of God in his own dominions, but 
succeeded even in destroying idolatry in the neighbor- 
ing kingdom of Israel, whither he went in person, and 
demolished the altar erected by Jeroboam to the 
golden calf. 

Q. Who were the remaining kings of Juda, and what was 
their character ? 

A. The four last kings of Juda were Joachas, Joa- 
kin, Jechonias, and Sedecias. They were all profane 
and wicked men, abandoned to their own evil ways, 
and despising the warnings and admonitions sent them 
by God through the prophet Jeremias, who lived in 
those latter days of the kingdom of Juda. The con- 
sequence was that they each and all died miserably, 
and at length the Assyrian king put an end to their 

9 



98 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

kingdom and carried their people into captivity, as 
already related. 

Q. Who was king of Assyria about this time ? 
A. Nabuchodouosor, whose remarkable history is 
recorded in scripture. 

Q. Can you relate some portion of Nabuchodonosor's history ? 

A. Having conquered the Medes, a powerful people, 
Nabuchodonosor formed the ambitious and silly pro- 
ject of making all nations subject to himself, and even 
to make them adore him as a god, instructing his gen- 
eral, Holofernes, not only to subdue all tribes and na- 
tions, but to destroy their temples and their idols, so 
that he might be worshipped as the god of all. 

Q. Did all nations submit to this tyrannical and impious pro- 
ject ? 

A. The Jews alone resisted ; notwithstanding the 
vast inferiority of their means and forces, they deter- 
mined to defend the temple of the Lord at all hazards, 
and in order to prevent the Assyrian army from reach- 
ing Jerusalem, they occupied all the mountain passes, 
fortified their towns, and took the still more efficacious 
means of propitiating God by fasting and prayer, 

Q. Did Holofernes succeed in reaching the holy city ? 

A. No, he had only commenced the conquest of 
Juda, when at Bethulia his career was brought to a 
sudden close by the wisdom and courage of Judith, a« 
before related, and that heroic woman called to the 
watchmen on the gate-towers of Bethulia, when she 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 99 

returned with the head of Holofernes, " God is with 
us, who has shown his power in Israel." 

Q. "What titles did the -high priest confer on Judith when by 
her means, not only Bethulia, but all Juda was delivered ? 

A. Coming from Jerusalem, with all the ancients, to 
see and congratulate Judith on her glorious victory, 
the venerable pontiff honored and addressed her as 
" The glory of Jerusalem, the joy of Israel, and the 
honor of the people." 

Q. What great miracle was wrought in Babylon about this 
ikne? 

A. Nabuchodonosor having caused a golden statue 
of himself to be made and erected on a plain near the 
city, ordered that all the people should assemble, and 
at a given signal fail down and adore him, under pain 
of being cast into a fiery furnace. Three young 
Hebrews having refused to worship the statue were cast 
into the fiery furnace, and, although the men who threw 
them in were consumed by the fire, these three gener- 
ous confessors of the true faith walked unhurt in the 
midst of the fire, Almighty God having sent an angel 
to make the place cool and pleasant for them. 

Q. What strange and awful punishment was inflicted on 
Nabuchodonosor for his impious assumption of divine honors ? 

A. He was compelled to walk on his hands and feet, 
and to hold companionship with beasts, for seven 
years, as had been foretold by the prophet Daniel. 

Q. "Was he ever restored to the dignity and the society of 
man? 

A. Fes, at the end of seven years, he was restored 



100 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

to reason, and humbling himself before the mighty- 
God of the Hebrews, acknowledged the justice of the 
terrible punishment he had received, whereupon the 
Lord, ever willing to hear the prayer of the penitent 
sinner, restored him to his kingdom with more glory 
and majesty than ever. 

Q. What have you to relate of Balthazar, the successor of 
Nabuchodonosor ? 

A. He had given a great banquet to a thousand of 
his courtiers, generals and nobles, and had caused the 
sacred vessels that were taken by his father from the 
temple of Jerusalem to be brought forth for the use of 
himself and his guests. 

Q. "What was the consequence of this sacrilegious act ? 

A. Scarcely had Balthazar and bis guests begun to 
drink from the sacred vessels, when the fingers of a 
hand were seen writing on the wall ; all were terrified, 
but none could decipher the mysterious characters, till 
at length the prophet Daniel was brought, and he ex- 
plained the dread enigma. 

Q. What wa3 Daniel's explanation ? 

A. He told the king that the words written on the 
wall by the ha^d of God himself, were Mane, Thecel, 
Phares — that Mane meant " God hath numbered thy 
kingdom, and it is at an end ;" Thecel meant, " Thou 
art weighed in the balance and found wanting ;" and 
Phares signified " Thy kingdom is divided, and given 
to the Medes and Persians." 

Q. When was this prediction fulfilled ? 

A. That very night. Cyrus, afterwards called the 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 101 

Great, took the city of Babylon, and, putting the king 
to death, possessed himself of all his treasures, and also 
of his kingdom, which thenceforward formed part of 
the great Persian empire. 

Q. What occurred to the prophet Daniel in the reign of Da- 
rius, first king of Persia and uncle to Cyrus ? 

A. By the intrigues of the courtiers who hated him 
because of the favor he enjoyed with the king, Daniel 
was thrown into a den of lions, but the lions licked his 
feet, and did not harm him in the least ; and whilst he 
was there, an angel carried Habacuc, another prophet, 
a stranger to Daniel, with some food he had prepared 
for himself, to the den where Daniel sat amongst the 
lions, and so gave him to eat. 

Q. How long did the Babylonian captivity of the Jews last ? 
A. It lasted seventy years, according to the predic- 
tion of the prophet Jeremiah. 



SIXTH AGE OF THE WORLD. 

FROM THE END OF THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY TO THE 
BIRTH OF CHRIST, EMBRACING A PERIOD OF 546 YEARS. 

Q. By whose decree was the Temple of Jerusalem rebuilt ? 

A. It was rebuilt by the decree of Cyrus, in the first 
year of his reign. The seventy years captivity foretold 
by Isaias being ended, Cyrus gave permission for the 
Temple to be rebuilt, and he restored the sacred ves- 



102 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

sols which had been taken from it by Nabuchod- 
onosor. 

Q. Did the Jews avail themselves of this permission ? 

A. Yes ; the principal families of Juda and Benja- 
min, with the priests and Levites to the number of forty- 
two thousand three hundred and sixty, with seven 
thousand three hundred and sixty servants marched to 
Jerusalem under the leadership of Zorobabel, grandson 
of king Joachim, accompanied by their high priest 
Josue, and the prophets Aggeus and Zacharias. 

Q. Who opposed the rebuilding of the Temple ? 

A. The Samaritans. At first they were willing to 
assist in its reconstruction, but their services not being 
accepted, they did every thing they could to impede 
the progress of the work, and by their influence with 
the kings of Persia, kept back the rebuilding of the 
Temple for a period of sixteen years. But at length 
the prophets Aggeus and Zacharias induced Zorobabel 
and the people to proceed with the work, and the king 
of Persia himself contributed large sums to aid the 
Jews in rebuilding their Temple. 

Q. "What befel meanwhile the Jews who remained in cap- 
tivity ? 

A. They were grievously persecuted by a wicked 
and powerful man named Aman, by whose malice they 
were in great danger of being entirely cut off. 

Q. "Whom did God raise up to protect his oppressed people ? 

A. Esther, a beautiful and virtuous woman of their 

own race, whom Asseurus the king had made his wife. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 103 

By the powerful influence of this fair and holy queen, 
peace was restored to the Jews in Babylon, and many 
who had feared to acknowledge themselves Jews, now 
openly professed their faith, and worshipped the true 
God. 

Q. Who conducted a number of the Jews to Jerusalem about 
eight years after Zorababel's return thither ? 

A. Esdras, the priest, being sent by Artaxerxes the 
ting to carry presents to the Temple, was empowered 
to appoint judges and magistrates, and to establish law 
and order in Judea. Esdras governed that country in 
the name of the Persian king for thirteen years, when 
Nehemias was sent with a new commission from the 
king. 

Q. Who was Nehemias, and what was his character ? 

A. Nehemias had been cup-bearer to Artaxerxes, and 
having earnestly petitioned the king to have the walls 
of Jerusalem rebuilt, he was appointed governor, and 
sent to have that work accomplished. He was an up- 
right and God-fearing man, and by his wisdom and 
good government did much to ameliorate the condi- 
tion of the Jewish people. Nehemias is honorably 
mentioned in Scripture as a great benefactor to the 
poor. 

Q. What prophet lived after tho rebuilding of the Temple ? 

A. Malachias, the last of the prophets, lived after 
the rebuilding of the Temple. There was no prophet 
from his time till that of John the Baptist, whose 
coming he foretold. • 



104 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. How many of the prophets are now known by their pro- 
phecies ? 

A. Sixteen in all : they are divided into two classes, 
known as the great and the minor prophets, from the 
greater or lesser extent of their prophesies. 

Q. Which are called the great prophets ? 

A. Isaias, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. 

Q. Name the twelve minor prophets ? 

A. Jonas, Osee, Amos, Abdias, Micheas, Nahum, 
Joel, Sophonias, Habacuc, Aggeus, Zacharias, and 
Malachias. 

Q, How did Nehemias obtain consecrated fire after the re- 
building of the Temple ? 

A. He sent some descendants of the priests, who had 
concealed the sacred fire by command of the prophet 
Jeremiah, to seek it, but they finding only thick water, 
Nehemias directed them to bring him some of it, and 
having sprinkled therewith the altar and the victim, it 
ignited, and consumed the sacrifice. 

Q. How was the kingdom of Juda governed after the death 
of Nehemias ? 

A. By the high priests, of whom a regular succes- 
sion had been maintained from the days of Aaron. 

Q. To whom was Judea then subject ? 

A. It was subject to Persia, under whose kings the 
people of God enjoyed comparative peace in the undis- 
turbed exercise of their religion. 

Q. Did the people of Israel continue in a communion of wor- 
ship during that time with their brethren of Judea ? 

A. No ; owing to the intermarriage of a priestly 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 105 

family with one of Samaria, in Israel, contrary to the 
Jewish law, a schism arose, and a schismatic temple 
was erected "on Mount Garizim, in Samaria, in opposi- 
ion to that of Jerusalem. 

Q. Who was Seleucus? 

A. A king of Asia, who, by the connivance of a 
wicked man named Simon, overseer of the Temple, sent 
his commissary Heliodorus, to seize immense sums of 
money which had been deposited in the Temple. 

Q. Did Heliodorus succeed in obtaining this treasure? 

A. No ; the good high priest, Onias, with all the peo- 
ple, earnestly besought God to save the Temple from 
profanation, and God, hearing their pious prayers, sent 
his angels visibly to protect the sanctuary. 

Q. Who was Antiochus ? 

A. A most wicked king of Asia, the successor of 
Seleucus, who grievously oppressed the Jewish nation. 
On one occasion, he took and sacked Jerusalem, kill- 
ing eighty thousand of its people in three days, and 
making forty thousand prisoners ; forty thousand more 
he sold as slaves. 

Q. What sacrilegious act did Antiochus commit on that oc- 
casion ? 

A. Being conducted to the Temple by the impious 

Menelaus, who had usurped the office of high priest, 

Antiochus laid sacrilegious hands on the treasures 

therein contained, and robbed the Temple. 

Q. What instructions were given by Antiochus to his gover- 
nors in Judea ? 

A. To oppress and afflict the people ; and he after- 



106 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

wards sent his general Appolonius with a large army, 
to kill all the men of the Jewish nation, and sell the 
women and children as slaves. 

Q. What other proof did Antiochus give of his hatred to the 
Jewish religion ? 

A. He commenced a violent persecution against tie 
professors of that religion, placed an idol in the temple, 
defiled the altars, and put a great number of persons 
to death because they would not deny the one true 
God, and bow the knee to idols. 

Q. Mention some of the victims of the persecution of Antio- 
chus? 

A. Eleazer, one of the chief scribes, a holy old man 
who was ninety years of age, and a whole family, com- 
monly called the Maccabees, consisting of seven 
brothers and their pious mother, all of whom suffered 
martyrdom with heroic fortitude. 

Q. In what other way did Antiochus show his hatred of the 
true religion ? 

A. He destroyed what he could of the sacred writ- 
ings, and put to death those with whom any of them 
were discovered. 

Q. Whom did God raise up at that time to assist his people ? 

A. A holy priest named Mathathias, who with his 
family and kindred were all most faithful to God, and 
determined to die rather than renounce their allegiance 
to him. 

Q. What have you to relate of Mathathias ? 

A. Having retired from Jerusalem with his family, 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 107 

to his native city called Modin, he was called on to set 
an example to the people by submitting to the idola- 
ters ; he not only steadfastly refused, but slew with his 
own hand an apostate Jew whom he saw sacrificing to 
idols, killed the officer who was forcing him to that base 
act, and finally broke down the idolatrous altar. 

Q. What else did Mathathias do for the service of God and 
his country ? 

A. He placed himself at the head of the most cour- 
ageous Jews, attacked the enemy, and gained several 
victories over the idolaters, destroyed their altars, and, 
when dying, left an injunction on his sons, and espe- 
cially his son Judas Machabeus, to consecrate their 
lives to the service of God, and walk always faithfully 
before him. 

Q. How many sons had Mathathias ? 

A. He had five sons whose names were Judas, 
Eleazer, John, Jonathan, and Simon, all of whom were 
equally valiant, equally wise, and equally devoted to 
the service of God, and his people. 

Q. Which of the sons of Mathathias did their father appoint 
to succeed him in the government of God's people ? 

A. Judas Machabeus, the youngest, but the bravest 
of his sons, who had been famed for valor from his 
youth. 

Q. Was Judas victorious over the enemy ? 
A. Yes ; notwitstanding the vast superiority of the 
enemy's forces, the valiant Judas defeated them in 



108 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

every engagement, and finally drove the idolaters out 
of Judea. 

Q. What did Antiochus Epiplianes when ho heard of the 
victories of Judas Machabeus ? 

A. He immediately set out for Jerusalem, with an 
intention to destroy the whole Jewish people, 

Q. Did he accomplish this wicked design ? 

A. No, when on his way to Jerusalem he fell from 
his chariot, and was grievously injured by the fall ; 
Almighty God struck him, moreover, with a horrible 
disease so that worms swarmed from his body, the 
stench whereof became intolerable to his whole army. 

Q. Did he then repent of his manifold sins ? 

A. He did, to a certain extent, inasmuch as he saw 
the misery they had brought upon him ; he humbled 
himself before God, and promised to do great things 
for his temple and his people if he were only cured, 
but his repentance being only from a personal motive 
was of no avail before God, and he died in his sins, in 
that wretched condition. 

Q. What was the first care of Judas Machabeus after he had 
driven the enemy from his country ? 

A. His first care was to purify the temple, which he 
then repaired and refurnished, erected a new altar of 
holocausts, collected the sacred writings scattered 
abroad during the war, and caused the sacrifices and 
all other religious observances to be faithfully practised, 
as of old. He also strongly fortified Mount Sion. 

Q. How did Judas Machabeus usually prepare for battle ? 
A. By fasting, prayer, and humiliation, which drew 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 109 

down upon him and his arms the blessing of God, and 
enabled him to defeat, with only a small force, the vast 
armies brought against him, which he did on many- 
occasions. 

Q. What other pious practice of Judas Machabeus is recorded 
in Scripture? 

A. That of sending money to Jerusalem after his 
battles, to have sacrifice offered up for the souls of his 
deceased soldiers. 

Q. What does the Holy Scripture say with regard to this 
pious act of Judas Machabeus ? 

A. That he " thought well and religiously concern- 
ing the resurrection," and " that it is a holy and whole- 
some thought to pray for the dead that they may be 
loosed from their sins." 

Q. How did Judas Machabeus die ? 

A. He died gloriously, as he had lived, fighting at 
the head of a small band of devoted followers, a 
vast army of idolaters, under Bacchides. The battle 
had continued from morning till night, when the Jews 
lost their valiant leader. 

Q. What reply did Judas Machabeus make to those who 
would have persuaded him not to encounter such an overwhelm- 
ing force ? 

A. He said, " If our time be come, let us die man- 
fully for our brethren." This heroism was the more 
remarkable as the greater part of his own army had 
fled through fear, leaving Judas only eight hundred 
men. 

10 



110 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. Who was chosen as successor of Judas Machabeus in tha 
government of Judea ? 

A. His brother Jonathan, who was equally brave 
and equally devoted to the interests of religion. 

Q. How did Jonathan succeed in warring agaiust the enemies 
of his country ? 

A. He twice defeated Bacchides, with whom he 
then concluded a treaty, which secured peace to 
Judea for nearly fourteen years. So honored was 
Jonathan at home and abroad that kings, we are told, 
sought his friendship, and the high priesthood was 
conferred on him by Alexander, son of Antiochus. 

Q. How was this peace disturbed ? 

A. Demetrius, the rival of Alexander, being killed 
In battle with the latter, his son who succeeded him, 
appointed Apolionius, the known enemy of the Jews, 
;as his general. Apolionius entered Judea at the head 
of a large army, but was met and defeated by Jona- 
than. 

Q. With what nations did Jonathan renew treaties of peace 
and friendship? 

A. With the Romans and the Lacedemonians. 

Q. What befel Jonathan- soon after ? 

A. He was treacherously taken prisoner by an am- 
bitious man named Tryphon. His brother Simon 
hearing of what had befallen Jonathan, sent to Jeru- 
salem, assembled the people, and offered himself as 
their leader, in place of his brother, which offer they 
gladly accepted, and promised to obey him in al] 
things. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. Ill 

Q. Whit was Simon's first care on assuming the government 
of Judea and the office of High Priest ? 

A. His first care was to fortify Jerusalem, furnish its 
walls, and place a garrison in Joppa. 

Q. What did Tryphon when he found that Simon was prepar- 
ing to attack him ? 

A. He sent messengers to say that he would set 
Jonathan at liberty if his two sons were sent him as 
hostages, and a hundred talents of silver paid him. 

Q. Was this done ? 

A. Yes, but Tryphon, when he got the two sons in 
his power, refused to liberate the father, and entered 
Judea with the intention of laying the country waste. 

Q. What did Trj-phon then do? 

A. Finding that Simon every where repulsed his 
attacks, he put Jonathan and his sons to death. 

Q. How long did Simon govern Judea? 

A. Nine years, during which time he continued and 
completed all that his father and brothers had com- 
menced for the good of the people, repaired and re- 
built what had been destroyed by successive wars, and 
restored the temple and the city to most of their 
former splendor. He also repelled all attacks from 
abroad, and renewed treaties of peace with the Greeks 
and Romans. 

Q. How did Simon die ? 

A. He was murdered, with two of his sons, by the 
contrivance of Ptolemy, his son-in-law, who hoped to 
rule in his place, but was happily disappointed. 



112 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 






Q. Who succeeded him ? 

A. His son John, sur named Hyrcanus, whom his 
father had appointed general of the army. It was 
Ptolemy's design to kill him also, but he received in- 
telligence of the murder of his father and brothers in 
time to take proper precautions. 

Q. What was the character of John Hyrcanus ? 

A. He was no less brave and pious than his father 
and brothers, and had gained a great victory during 
his father's lifetime over a large army sent by Antio- 
chus, son of Demetrius, to invade Judea. 

Q. How long did John Hyrcanus govern Judea ? 

A. About thirty-one years. His government was as 
prosperous for Judea as that of his father and brothers, 
and amongst other great and praiseworthy actions, he 
destroyed the schism atical temple built two hundred 
years before, on Mount Garizim in Samaria. 

Q. Who succeeded John Hyrcanus ? 

A. His son Aristobulus, who caused himself to be 
crowned as king, being the first who did so from the 
destruction of the monarchy at the Babylonian cap- 
tivity. 

Q. Was Aristobulus true to the character of his noble house? 

A. No, he was odious for his cruelty even to his 
own family, having murdered his mother and one of 
his brothers. 

Q. How long did this wicked man rule Judea ? 
A. He reigned only one year. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 113 

Q. By whom was Aristobulus succeeded ? 

A. By his brother Alexander Jannaeus, who died a 
natural death, after a troubled reign of twenty-seven 
years. 

Q. To whom did Alexander leave the sovereign power ? 

A. To Alexandra his queen, who caused her younger 
son Hyrcanus, to be made high priest. After the 
death of the queen, her son Hyrcanus assumed the 
sovereignty, but being of a mild and easy disposition 
was soon dethroned by his brother Aristobulus. 

Q. How did the Jews lose their independence ? 

A. The Romans having assisted Hyrcanus to recover 
the throne, Herod, an Idumean by birth, taking 
advantage of the domestic troubles of the Jews, in- 
vaded the country, and possessed himself of the sover- 
eign power, his usurpation being sanctioned by the 
Roman Emperor Augustus. 

Q. What remarkable prophecies were fulfilled by this usur- 
pation of Herod ? 

A. That Esau (that is, Edom or Idumea), should 
one day shake off the yoke of his brother Israel, and 
that the Messiah should come when the sceptre de- 
parted from Juda. 

10* 



A 




Jesus falls under the Cross. 



THE NEW TESTAMENT. 

Q. What books of the Bible are comprised in the New Testa- 
ment? 

A. The four Gospels of St. Mathew, St. Luke, St. 
Mark, and St. John ; the Acts of the Apostles, the 
Epistles of St. Paul, St. Peter, St. James, St. John, and 
St. Jude, and the Apocalypse of St. John. 

Q. What is contained in the Gospels ? 

A. The history of the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 
his miracles, his passion, his death, and his glorious 
resurrection and ascension. 

Q. What is comprised in the Acts of the Apostles ? 
A. The history of the foundation of the Church, 
with the labors and sufferings of the first Apostles. 

Q. What do the Epistles contain ? 

A. The Epistles contain the precepts and instruc- 
tions given by the Apostles to the primitive Christians. 

Q. And what is the Apocalypse ? 

A. The Apocalypse is a revelation made to St. John 
the Evangelist in the island of Patmos, and may be 
considered the prophetic and mysterious history of the 
latter days of the Church on earth. 

Q. How long after the fall of our first parents did the prom- 
ised Messiah come on earth ? 

A. About four thousand years. 



118 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. In what condition was the world at the time of his ap- 
pearance ? 

A. The world was plunged in the darkness of idola- 
try, with the single exception of the small province of 
Judea, and even the people of that one province, the 
Jews, who alone adored the true God, were divided 
into several sects, such as the Pharisees, the Sadducees, 
the Herodians, and others. 

Q. Of what race was the Messiah horn? 

A. He was born of the tribe of Juda, and the family 
of David, as had been foretold by many of the pro- 
phets ; his mother was Mary, an humble virgin of 
Nazareth, daughter of Joachim and Anne, and es- 
poused to Joseph, an aged man, by trade a carpenter. 

Q. How did the incarnation of the Messiah take place ? 

A. The archangel Gabriel was sent by God to an- 
nounce to the virgin spouse of Joseph that the Son of 
God should become flesh in her chaste womb. 

Q. How did the angel salute the Blessed Yirgin ? 
A. He said, " Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with 
thee, blessed art thou amongst women." 

Q. How did the Blessed Yirgin receive this salutation ? 
A. She was much troubled, and knew not what it 
meant. 

Q. "What did the angel G-abriel then say ? 

A. " Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with 
God ; behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and 
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 119 

He shrill be great and shall be called the Son of the 
Most High." 

Q. What was Mary's answer ? 

A. " How can this be done, because I know not 
man?" 

Q. What did the angel reply ? 

A. He replied ; " The Holy Ghost shall come upon 
thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow 
thee, and, therefore, also, the Holy w T hich shall be 
born of thee shall be called the Son of God." 

Q. In what words did the Blessed Yirgin signify her consent? 
A. " Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done 
unto me, according to thy word." 

Q. "What took place at that moment ? 

A. The Son of God, the second person of the Most 
Holy Trinity, descending from heaven, assumed human 
nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Q. Of what did the angel then inform Mary ? 

A. That her cousin, St. Elizabeth, already far ad- 
vanced in years, was also about to bring forth a son, 
and was already six months gone with child. 

Q. What did the Blessed Yirgin then do ? 
A. She went in haste to visit her cousin in the moun- 
tains of Judca, and remained with her three months. 

Q. How did St. Elizabeth salute her holy cousin on her 
arrival ? 

A. She said, " Blessed art thou amongst women, and 
blessed is the fruit of thy womb ; and whence is this 



120 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to 
visit me?" 

Q. How did the Blessed Yirgin reply ? 

A. In the words of that beautiful canticle, called the 
Magnificat, which is sung in the Vesper Service of the 
Church, and begins " My soul doth magnify the Lord." 

Q. What great prophecy is contained in the Magnificat t 
A. "Behold, from henceforth all generations shall 
call me blessed." These sublime words, put in the 
mouth of the Blessed Virgin by the Holy Ghost him- 
self, clearly foretell the great honor and devotion which 
the faithful in all ages have paid, and ever shall pay, 
to the virgin mother of God. 

Q. Who was St. Elizabeth ? 

A. She was the wife of Zachary, a holy priest, and 
was herself descended from the race of Aaron. 

Q. What remarkable circumstances preceded and accom- 
panied the birth of her son ? 

A. The angel Gabriel had appeared to Zachary in 
the temple, and announced to him the birth of a son 
whom he should call John, and who should be filled 
with the Holy Ghost from his birth ; Zachary mani- 
festing some incredulity, on account of his wife's ad- 
vanced age, the angel told him that, as a sign, he 
should be deprived of the power of speech until after 
the fulfilment of the promise, which took place accord- 
ingly, and Zachary remained dumb till after the birth 
of his son. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 121 

Q. Where did St. John spend his youth ? 

A. He spent his youth in the desert, until the time 
for commencing his mission had arrived. He then 
began to preach penance and to baptise, from which 
latter office he was called John the Baptist. 

Q. In what capacity was St. John the Baptist foretold by the 
prophet Isaiah ? 

A. As the precursor, or forerunner of Our Lord, for 
whose coming he was to prepare the people by preach- 
ing penance. 

Q. What kind of life did St. John lead in the desert ? 

A. He led a life of retirement, prayer, and mortifi- 
cation. - His food was locusts and wild honey ; his gar- 
ment was of camel's hair fastened by a leathern 
girdle. 

Q. Where did the Blessed Virgin bring forth her divine son ? 

A. At Bethlehem, a small town of Juda, not far 
from Jerusalem, as had been foretold by the prophet 
Micheas. 

Q. How did it happen that the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph 
were then at Bethlehem ? 

A. The Roman Emperor Augustus, had issued an 
edict ordering the enrolment of all the nations sub- 
ject to him, each according to their tribes and families ; 
in obedience to this decree, the Blessed Virgin and her 
holy spouse had gone to Bethlehem, the city of David, 
from whom they were both lineally descended. 

Q. In what place was the Saviour born ? 
A. He was born in a cave that was used as a stable, 

11 



122 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

because the inns being all full, and St. Joseph and his 
holy spouse very poor, they were forced to take shelter 
in that wretched place from the inclemency of the 
winter night, being the twenty-fifth of December. 

Q. To whom was the birth of the Messiah first made known ? 

A. To some shepherds who were feeding their flocks 
©n the plains of Bethlehem. To them the angels ap- 
peared, singing in the sky, — " Glory to God in the 
highest, and peace on earth to men of good will;" and 
one of the heavenly company announced to the shep- 
herds that the Saviour, Christ the Lord, was born to 
them, and that they should find him in the city of 
David wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a 
manger. 

Q. Did the shepherds go to search for the heaven-born child ? 

A. Yes, they w r ent immediately to Bethlehem, and 
found the child, the Scripture says, with Mary his 
mother, and kneeling down they adored him. 

Q. "When was the holy name of Jesus given our divine Lord? 

A. On the eighth day after his birth, being the day 
when, according to the Jewish rite, he received cir- 
cumcision. 

Q. On what day does the Church commemorate this event ? 
A. On the first day of January, honored as the Feast 
of the Circumcision. 

Q. How was Our Saviour's birth revealed to the Gentiles ? 
A, By a star which guided three wise men, said to 
have been kings, to Jerusalem from the East. This 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 123 

was the star foretold by the false prophet Balaam, and 
that prophecy had been preserved by tradition amongst 
the pagan nations of the East. 

Q. What happened when these wise men, or Magi, reached 
Jerusalem ? 

A. The star disappeared from their eyes, and they, 
believing their journey at an end, went to the king's 
palace, inquiring " Where is he that is born king of 
the Jews, for," said they, " we have seen his star in the 
East, and are come to adore him." 

Q. How did King Herod act on hearing this news ? 

A. He assembled the chief priests and scribes, and 

inquired of them where the Christ was to be born ; 

they answered, — " In Bethlehem of Juda, for so it is 

written by the prophet." Herod then sent the wise 

men to seek diligently for the child, and to return and 

let him know when they had found him, that he, too, 

might go and adore him. 
* 
Q. How did the three Magi discover the place where Our 

Lord was? 

A. By the star which re-appeared to them, and went 
before them till it stood over where the child was. 
Going in, they found the Desired of all nations in the 
stable, with Mary his mother, and falling down they 
adored him, offering gifts, as to a king, of gold, frankin- 
cense, and myrrh. 

Q. Why did Herod request the wise men to bring him word 
when they should have found the child ? 

A. Because he meant to destroy him, lest he should, 
in time, deprive him of his kingdom. 



124 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY, 






Q. How was this wicked design frustrated ? 

A. The Magi were admonished in sleep not to re- 
turn to him, and they went, accordingly, by another 
way to their own country. 

Q. By what festival does the Church commemorate the ador- 
ation of the wise men ? 

A. By the Feast of the Epiphany, or Manifestation 
to the Gentiles, solemnized on the sixth day of 
January. 

Q. "With what rite of the Mosaic law did the Blessed Virgin 
comply on the fortieth day after the birth of her divine son ? 

A. She complied with the law which decreed that 
women should be purified in the temple ; at the same 
time she presented her divine Son to his Eternal Father. 

Q. "What sacrifice did she offer on that occasion ? 
A. The sacrifice ordained for the poor, a pair of tur- 
tle doves, or two young pigeons. 

Q. "What holy persons bore testimony to Our Lord at his pre- 
sentation ? 

A. A holy old man named Simeon, and a prophetess, 
named Anna. The former had received a promise from 
God that he should not die till his eyes had seen the 
salvation of Israel ; the holy woman, Anna, had served 
for many years day and night in the temple. 

Q. On what day does the Church commemorate the two-fold 
mystery of the purification, and the presentation in the temple ? 

A. On the second day of February, called Candle- 
mas Day, when wax tapers are blessed and distributed 
amongst the faithful, in remembrance of the words of 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 125 

holy Simeon, applied to the infant Saviour, " a light to 
the revelation of the Gentiles." 

Q. "What did Herod when he found that the wise men had 
eluded him? .. . 

A. He cruelly ordered a general massacre ot all the 
male' children in and around Bethlehem, of two years 
old and under, hoping thus to ensure the destruction 
of the infant Messiah. 

Q How did the holy infant escape ? 

A. An angel appeared to St. Joseph in his sleep, and 
warned him to fly with the child and his mother into 
E^ypt, and to remain there until he should tell him to 
return. St. Joseph did as he was commanded and set 
out for Egypt that same night, with the divine infant 
and his mother. 

Q How long did the holy family remain in Egypt? 

A. About eight years, when an angel appeared again 
to St. Joseph, and told him that Herod was dead, com- 
manding him at the same time to take the child and 
his mother back to the land of Israel. 

Q Did St. Joseph obey this mandate? 

A. Yes, he immediately set out with his holy spouse 
and her divine Son, but hearing, on the way, that Ar- 
chelans, the son of Herod, reigned in Judea, he was 
afraid to return thither, and being again admonished in 
his sleep, went to Galilee, where he took up his abode 
in Nazareth. By this means, the prophecy was fufilled, 
that our blessed Lord should be called a Nazante. 

11* 



126 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. How is our divine Lord supposed to have spent his time 
at Nazareth ? 

A. He is supposed to have assisted St. Joseph in his 
carpenter work. 

Q. WTiat remarkable circumstance occurred when our blessed 
Lord was about twelve years old ? 

A. He having accompanied his mother and St. 
Joseph to Jerusalem to celebrate the Pasch, remained 
behind them in the city, they supposing him with some 
of the numerous friends and relatives who were jour- 
neying together ; when they missed the divine child 
they returned in haste to Jerusalem and found him af- 
ter three days, in the temple, disputing with the doc- 
tors of the law, and astonishing all by his words of 
wisdom. 

Q. What did his mother say to him when she thus found 
him? 

, A. She asked him why he had done so to her, and 
said that she and St. Joseph had sought him sor- 
rowing. 

Q. "What was Our Lord's reply ? 

A. " How is it that you sought me, knew you not 
that I must be about my Father's business ?" Never- 
theless, the Scripture says that he went down to Naz- 
areth with his holy mother, and was subject to her 
and St. Joseph. 

Q. "What was the preaching of St. John the Baptist in the 
desert, and on the banks of the Jordan where he opened his 
mission ? 

A. His preaching was " Do penance, for the king- 
dom of heaven is at hand." 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 12? 

Q. Did many of the people go to hear him ? 

A. Yes, great multitudes resorted to him for instruc- 
tion, and for baptism. Amongst others went thither 
our divine Lord himself, anxious to give an example of 
humility. 

Q. 'What did St. John when he saw Our Lord coming to him 
for baptism ? 

A. He would have prevented him from subjecting 
himself to such humiliation, saying : u I ought to be bap- 
tized by thee, and comest thou to me ?" But our Lord 
answered, " Suffer it to be so now, for so it becometh us 
to fulfil all justice." St. John obeyed, and baptized him. 

Q. "What prodigy took place at this baptism ? 

A. The heavens opened over the head of our divine 
Lord, and the Holy Ghost descended on him in the 
form of a dove ; at the same time a voice was heard 
from heaven, saying — " This is my beloved Son in 
whom I am well pleased !" 

Q. What did St. John say when he saw Our Lord coming to- 
wards him on the following day ? 

A. He said, " Behold the Lamb of God ; behold him 
who taketh awav the sins of the world." 

Q. What befel St. John soon after this ? 

A. He was cast into prison by order of Herod the 
Tetrarch, because he had rebuked him for having con- 
tracted an incestuous marriage with Herodias, his 
brother's wife. 

Q. What did our blessed Lord say of St. John the Baptist 
about this time ? 

A. That amongst those born of woman there was 



128 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

not a greater prophet than John the Baptist ; that he 
was a prophet, and more than a prophet, and that it 
was of him the prophet spoke when he said, " Behold 
I send my angel before thy face who shall prepare thy 
way before thee." 

Q. Can you relate the circumstances of St. John's martyr- 
dom? 

A. Yes; Herod made a great supper on his birth- 
day for all the princes and tribunes and chief men of 
Galilee, when the daughter of Herodias came in and 
danced before them, and her dancing so pleased the 
king that he told her to ask of him what she would, 
and that he would give it to her. Instructed by her 
wicked mother, she asked the head of John the Baptist, 
who was accordingly beheaded that night, and his head 
given her on a dish. 

Q. What age was Our Lord when he was baptised ? 
A. He was thirty years of age. 

Q. What did he immediately after his baptism ? 

A. He retired to the desert, where he spent forty 
days and forty nights in prayer and meditation, with- 
out either eating or drinking. 

Q. What remarkable circumstance occurred to our blessed 
Lord in the desert ? 

A. He was tempted by the devil in various ways, 
which he doubtless permitted for our instruction, to 
show us how to resist temptation. At length, he com- 
manded the devil to leave him, when angels came and 
ministered to him. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 129 

Q. Whither did Our Lord go after leaving the desert ? 
A. He went into Galilee, where he taught openly in 
the synagogues. 

Q. Why did he leave Nazareth ? 

A. Because the people of that town, indignant at 
his preaching, thought to throw him from the brow of 
the hill on which it is built. 

Q. How did he escape their fury ? 

A. The Gospel relates that " passing through the 
midst of them, he went his way." 

Q. What was Our Lord's first miracle ? 

A. The changing water into wine at the wedding of 
Cana, in Galilee, this he did at the request of his 
blessed mother who, perceiving that the wine had 
failed, wished to spare the confusion of the entertainers, 
and told her divine Son that there was no wine. 

Q. Whither did Our Lord go after this ? 
A. He went to Capharnaum, a sea-coast city on the 
borders of Zabulon and Nepthtali. 

Q. What miracle did Our Lord perform at Capharnaum ? 

A. He healed the servant of a centurion, who hear- 
ing ot Jesus, sent the ancients to ask him tc heal his 
servant. 

Q. Did Our Lord go to his house as desired? 

A. He did, and the centurion seeing him coming, 
advanced to meet him, saying, " Lord, I am not worthy 
that thou shouldst enter under my roof, say but the 
word, and my servant shall be healed." 



130 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. On hearing this what did Jesus say ? 

A. He said, turning to the multitude who followed 
him, " Amen I say to you, I have not found so great 
faith in Israel." And the Scripture says, they who 
were sent being returned to the house, found the ser- 
vant whole who had been sick. 

Q. What miracle did Our Lord perform at Nairn ? 

A. He raised to life the son of a widow, touched by 
the grief of the afflicted mother whom he met follow- 
ing her son's funeral. 

Q. Amongst the great number of his disciples did not Our 
Lord choose some to abide with him more particularly, and to aid 
him in his mission ? 

A. Yes, he chose twelve, to whom he gave the name 
of Apostles, which signifies sent, because after his death, 
they were destined to preach the Gospel to all nations. 

Q. "Who were these twelve apostles ? 

A. Peter, who was first called Simon, his brother 
Andrew, James the major, and James the minor, so 
called on account of their respective stature, Thomas, 
Philip, John, Bartholomew, Simon, surnamed Zelotes, 
Jude the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot. 

Q. What was the employment of most of the apostles before 
they were called by our blessed Lord ? 

A. Most of them were fishermen on the sea of 
Galilee. 

Q. Whither did Our Lord retire with his disciples soon after 
the miracles above related ? 

A. He retired with them to a mountain near Ca- 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 131 

pharnaum where he preached to them a sermon known 
in Scripture as the Sermon on the Mount. 

Q. Can you repeat any portion of this Sermon ? 

A. Yes, the eight beatitudes, which are as follows : 
" Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom 
of heaven ; blessed are the meek, for they shall possess 
the earth ; blessed are they that mourn, for they shall 
be comforted ; blessed are they that hunger and thirst 
after justice, for they shall be filled ; blessed are the 
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy ; blessed are the 
clean of heart, for they shall see God ; blessed are the 
peace-makers for they shall be called the children of 
God ; blessed are they that suffer persecution for right- 
eousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 

Q. What form of prayer did Our Lord frame for his disciples? 
A. The Lord's Prayer, commonly called the "Our 
Father." 

Q. Where did Our Lord preach the Gospel ? 

A. Wherever an occasion presented itself, in city, 
town, or country, in the temple, and in the syna- 
gogues. 

Q. "What did he preach to the people I 

A. He every where announced that the Messiah, so 
long desired by the patriarchs, and promised by the 
prophets, had come ; every where, too, he preached 
penance, the contempt of riches, the forgiveness of in- 
juries, and the denial of self. 

Q. By what means did Our Lord usually instruct the Jews ? 
A. By means of parables, the principal of which 



132 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

were the Prodigal Son, the Unjust Steward, Dives and 
Lazarus, the Good Samaritan, the Good Shepherd, and 
the Pharisee and Publican. 

Q. What lesson did Our Saviour teach us by the parable of 
the Prodigal Son ? 

A. The folly of the sinner who wanders away from 
God in the desert of sin, and the great goodness -of God 
who, like the father of the prodigal son is ever will* 
ing to receive him on his return. 

Q. What are we to learn from the parable of the Unjur 
Steward ? 

A. That we may and should, like the unjust steward* 
make friends for ourselves with the mammon of ini- 
quity, which is the wealth of this world, by applying to 
good purposes, and especially in charity to the poor, 
and to religion, the means which God has bestowed 
upon us. 

Q. What lesson is conveyed to our understanding by tho 
parable of Dives and Lazarus ? 

A. The terrible punishment which awaits in the 
other world, those who close their hearts against the 
poor. 

Q. What are we to learn from the parable of the Good 
Samaritan ? 

A. That we are to consider all mankind as our 
brethren, but in a very special manner the poor and 
the afflicted. 

Q. And what does Our Lord teach us by the parable of the 
Good Shepherd ? 

A, The tender care and solicitude wherewith he 



1 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 133 

himself, the shepherd of our souls, watches over our 
eternal welfare. 

Q. And what does he teach us by the parable of the Pharisee 
and the Publican ? 

A. The great esteem in which our God holds the 
virtue of humility, and his hatred of pride and vain- 
glory. 

• Q. What miracle did our Lord perform in the vicinity of Tyro 
and Sidon, showing his regard for humility ? 

A. Being met by a woman of Canaan, who besought 
him to cure her daughter who was grievously troubled 
by a devil, he, at first, refused to hear her prayer, say- 
ing that he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. 
But the woman persevering in her humble petition, 
although the disciples would have driven her away, 
our divine Lord said to her, " 0, woman, great is thy 
faith, be it done to thee as thou wilt," and her daugh- 
ter was cured from that hour. 

Q. "What miracle did our Lord perform near Jericho, showing 
the efficacy of perseverance in prayer ? 

A. He cured a blind man who sat begging by the 
way-side, and who, finding that our blessed Lord was 
passing by, began to cry out, " Jesus, son of David, 
have mercy on me !" Several times he was rebuked 
by the disciples, and told to hold his peace, but still 
the more urgently did he renew his petition, whereupon 
our divine Lord restored his sight. 

Q. "What great miracle did our Lord perform in the desert for 
the multitude who had gone out to hear him ? 

A. Compassionating their necessities, for they had 

12 



134 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

been all the day fasting, he so multiplied fivQ loaves 
and two fishes, which a boy chanced to have, that not 
only did the multitude all e,at in abundance, but twelve 
baskets of the fragments were carried away. 

Q. "What stupendous miracle did our Lord perform at 
Bethany ? 

A. He raised to life Lazarus, the brother of Mary 

Magdalen and her sister Martha, although he had been 

three days in the grave. 

Q. "Who else did lie raise from the dead ? 

A. The daughter of Jairus, whom he took by the 
hand, and saying, " Maiden, I say to thee, arise," she 
that had been dead arose, restored to life and health. 

Q. What effect did these miracles of our Lord produce ? 

A. They made him known throughout all Judea ; 
but they, at the same time, excited the jealousy and 
hatred of the Scribes and Pharisees, and the Jewish 
priests. 

Q. "What directions did our Lord give his apostles ? 

A. To preach the Gospel, and to confirm the doc- 
trine they taught by miracles, the power of working 
which he imparted to them. 

Q. What did he foretel them ? 

A. That they should suffer persecution for his sake, 
and should be brought before governors and princes ; 
but that proper words should be put in their mouths 
to speak, and that the Spirit of their Father should 
speak in them. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 135 

Q. Did our Lord send any others on tho mission besides th& 
twelve Apostles ? 

A. Yes ; he appointed seventy-two of his disciples 
to go, two and two before him, into every town and 
city, announcing his coming. On them, also, he be- 
stowed the gift of miracles. 

Q. "Were there any persons of distinction amongst the dis- 
ciples of our Lord ? 

A. Yes ; there were many, but they dared not pro- 
fess their faith openly, fearing the vengeance of the 
Scribes and Pharisees. The two of these particularly 
mentioned are Nicodemus, who came to our Lord by 
night for instruction, and Joseph of Arimathea, 

Q. "What did our Lord prophecy concerning the Temple ? 

A. That it should be utterly demolished, so that 
one stone should not remain upon another. 

Q. When was this prophecy fulfilled ? 

A. It was partially fulfilled when the Roman Em- 
peror Titus took Jerusalem after a siege of ten years ; 
and the work of destruction left unfinished by Titus, 
was entirely completed by the Emperor Julian the 
Apostate, who, foolishly bent on proving our Lord's 
prophecy false, attempted to rebuild the Temple, and 
dug out the very foundations, so that the prophecy 
was literally fulfilled, not one stone being left on an- 
other, and so it remains to this day. 

Q. How did our Lord manifest his zeal, on finding buyers 
and sellers trafficking in the Temple ? 

A. He made a scourge of little cords, and drove out 
the sheep and oxen from the court of the Temple, scat- 



136 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

tered the money of the money-changers, and overthrew 
their tables; to the sellers of doves he said, "Take 
these things hence, and make not the house of my 
father a den of thieves." 

Q. What did our blessed Lord, when he saw the hatred of 
the Jews becoming more violent against him ? 

A. He left Jerusalem for a time, and retired into 
Galilee. 

Q. "What occurred when our Lord was on his way to Galilee ? 

A. Having reached Sichar, a city of Samaria, he 
seated himself on Jacob's well to rest, while his dis- 
ciples went into the city to buy provisions ; meanwhile 
there came to draw water a Samaritan woman, of 
whom he asked a drink, and the woman was surprised 
by the request, as the Jews were not permitted to hold 
any intercourse with the Samaritans. 

Q. What did our Lord then do ? 

A. He began to discourse with the woman on the 
life which is everlasting, and, finally, by mentioning to 
her some sins of her past life, convinced her that he 
was a prophet. The woman then ran to the city, and 
telling the people that a great prophet sat by the well, 
manv of them came to him and besought him to re- 
main with them. He accordingly staid a little time in 
their city, and during his stay, converted numbers to 
the faith. 

Q. Mention what occurred during a storm on the sea of 
Galilee. 

A. Our Lord had gone into a ship, in order to avoid 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 137 

the pressure of the multitude that followed him. After 
having thence instructed the people on the shore, he 
directed his disciples to set sail for the opposite coast ; 
on their way a storm arose, and our Lord being awoke 
by his disciples, rebuked the winds and the waves, say- 
ing, "Peace, be still," and immediately there was a 
great calm. 

Q. "What remarkable circumstance occurred to St. Peter on 
the lake of Genesareth ? 

A. St. Peter and his companions were in a ship on 
the lake, our Lord having remained alone on the shore 
to pray ; the ship being tossed about on the waves, our 
Lord walked to it on the water, and the disciples, sup- 
posing it to be an apparition, were afraid, till the voice 
of their divine Master reassured them, when St. Peter 
asked him, if it were indeed himself, to make him, too, 
walk on the water towards him, and our divine Lord 
saying, " Come ;" St. Peter went down from the ship, 
and walked on the water. 

Q. "What happened then ? 

A. St. Peter having walked a little way, his courage 
failed him ; and beginning to sink, he cried, " Lord, 
save me ;" whereupon our gracious Lord took him by 
the hand, saying, "O thou of littls faith, why didst 
thou doubt?" 

Q. "What did the people think on seeing the wonderful 
miracles of our Lord ? 

A. Some thought he was John the Baptist risen 
from the dead ; others that he was Elias, come down 

12* 



138 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

from heaven ; and others again, that he was Jeremiah, 
or one of the prophets. 

Q. What was the reply of St. Peter, when our Lord asked 
his disciples who they thought he was? 

A. St. Peters reply was, "Thou art Christ, the son 
of the living God." 

Q. What remarkable words did our Saviour then address to 
Simon Peter? 

A. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh 
and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father 
who is in heaven ; and I say to thee, that thou art 
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and 
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

Q. What did our blessed Lord mean by changing the name 
of his apostle from Simon to Peter, and saying then, "Upon this 
rock I will build my Church?" 

A. Because the word Peter, or Petrus, means a rock, 
and Peter was truly the rock on which our Lord built 
his Church. 

Q. What other mysterious words did our Lord address to 
Peter on that occasion ? 

A. " And I will give to thee the keys of the king- 
dom of heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on 
earth, shall be bound also in heaven ; and whatsoever 
thou shalt loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in 
heaven." 

Q. What did our Lord foretell his disciples about this time? 

A. That he should go to Jerusalem, and suffer many 
things from the ancients and chief priests ; that he 
should be put to death, and on the third day rise again. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 139 

Q. By what miraculous event did he strengthen his apostles 
a few days after this ? 

A. Taking with him Peter, James, and John, he re- 
tired to a mountain, called Thabor, to pray, and whilst 
in prayer he was transfigured, assuming the appearance 
of a glorified body, his face radiant as the sun, and his 
garments white and shining. 

Q. What great personages of the old law were seen talking 
with him ? 

A. Moses and Elias, who conversed with him on his 
approaching passion and death in Jerusalem. 

Q. What did St. Peter exclaim on seeing this glorious sight ? 

A. He exclaimed, " Lord, it is good for us to be 
here ; let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, one 
for Moses, and one for Elias." 

Q. What other prodigy then took place ? 

A. Whilst St. Peter yet spoke, a bright cloud over- 
shadowed our Lord and his two heavenly companions, 
and a voice from the cloud was heard saying, u This is 
my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye 
him." The disciples, being afraid, fell flat on the 
ground, but our Lord reassured them and told them 
to rise, when they saw only himself, under his ordinary 
appearance. 

Q. What did our Lord then tell his apostles ? 

A. He told them not to speak of the vision they had 
seen until after he was risen from the dead. 

Q. What did our Lord do soon after his transfiguration ? 
A. He set out for Jerusalem with his disciples, 



140 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

whom lie told that the hour of his passion was at 
hand. 

Q. What miraculous euro did our Lord perform on his way to 
Jerusalem ? 

A. That of ten lepers, who, seeing him pass, stood 
afar off, and cried out, " Jesus, master, have mercy on 
us." Our Saviour told them to go and show them- 
selves to the priests, and as they went they were made 
clean. 

Q. Did they return to thank our divine Lord for having 
healed them ? 

A. Only one of them returned to thank him, and 
our Lord said to him, " Were not ten made clean t 
where are the nine ?" From this we see that Almighty 
God expects us to thank him for his graces and mercies. 

Q. "What occurred at the house of a Pharisee where our 
Lord was at table ? 

A. A woman, named Mary Magdalen, the sister of 
Lazarus before mentioned, who had been a great sinner, 
came in, bringing an alabaster box full of precious oint- 
ment, with which she anointed our Lord's feet, having 
first washed them with her tears, and wiped them with 
her hair. 

Q. What did our blessed Lord say to the Pharisee and those 
around him who were scandalized at his kind reception of a pub- 
lic sinner ? 

A. He said, " Many sins are forgiven her, because 
she loved much." To her he said, " Thy sins are for- 
given thee." And when Judas Iscariot began to mur- 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 141 

mur, saying that the price of the ointment had better 
been given to the poor, our Lord added, "The poor, 
you have always with you, but me you have not 
always ; let her alone, she hath done it for my burial, 
and I say to you that wherever this Gospel is preached 
in the whole world, this thing shall'be told in memory 
of her." 

Q. "What signs did our Lord say should precede the end of 
the world ? 

A. He said that there should be wars and rumors of 
wars, that nation should rise against nation, and king- 
dom against kingdom, that there should be famines and 
earthquakes, and such tribulation as there had not 
been from the beginning of the world ; and that after 
all these things, the sun and moon should be darkened 
and the stars fall from heaven. 

Q. How did he describe his own coming at the last day ? 

A. He said that the Son of Man would come in the 
clouds of heaven with much power and majesty, and 
that he would send his angels with a trumpet and a 
great voice, to gather together his elect from the four 
winds. 

Q. How did our Lord say that he would address the just, who 
on that day are to be placed on his right hand ? 

A. " Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the 
kingdom that was prepared for you from the beginning 
of the world." 

Q. And what was he to say to the wicked, on his left hand ? 

A. "Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, pre- 
pared for the devil and his angels." 



142 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. How did our divine Lord enter Jerusalem a few days 
before the Pasch, which he went to eat there with his disciples? 

A. He entered riding on an ass, the ass being then 
ridden by persons of distinction ; his disciples laid their 
garments on the back of the ass ; many of the multi- 
tude spread their garments on the way before him, and 
others cut down green branches from the trees, all with 
one voice crying out — " Hosannah to the Son of David 
blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; 
hosannah in the highest." 

Q. On what day does the Church celebrate this triumphant 
entry of our Lord into Jerusalem ? 

A. On Palm Sunday, when branches of palms and 
other evergreens are blessed and distributed amongst 
the faithful, who hold them in their hands during the 
reading of the passion on that day. 

Q. "Were not the enemies of our blessed Lord displeased by 
this triumphant entry into Jerusalem ? 

A. Yes, their jealous hatred was so much increased 
by this manifestation of popular feeling towards our 
divine Lord that they resolved to put him to death 
and began to deliberate on the means of getting him 
into their power. 

Q. By what means did they succeed in their malicious 
design ? 

A. By means of the treachery of one of the apostles, 
named Judas Iscariot. Whilst they were deliberating on 
the course to pursue in order to capture our divine 
Lord without raising a popular tumult, Judas came to 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 143 

them, and offered to deliver up his master to them for 
thirty pieces of silver. 

Q. What directions did our Lord give to his disciples when 
he sent them into the city to prepare the Pasch ? 

A. He told them to follow a man whom they should 
meet carrying a pitcher of water, and to ask the master 
of the house into which he entered for a room in which 
to prepare the Pasch. They did so, and found every 
thing ready as he had told them. 

Q. What did our Lord say to his apostles when they were 
about to eat the Pasch together ? 

A. He said : " With desire, I have desired to eat 
this Pasch with you before I suffer, for I say to you 
that from this time I will not eat it, till it be fulfilled 
in the kingdom of God." 

Q. What remarkable act of humility did our Lord perform at 
that last supper ? 

A. He arose from table, laid aside his outer garment, 
and having girded himself with a towel, poured water 
into a basin and washed the feet of his disciples. 

Q. What did our Lord foretell his apostles on that occasion ? 
A. That one of them was about to betray him. 

Q. What did our Lord when he and his apostles had eaten 
the Pasch, and fully accomplished the Mosaic rite ? 

A. He took bread, and giving thanks, broke it; then 
giving of it to each of the apostles, he said ; " This is 
my body which is given for you, do this for a com- 
memoration of me." Taking wine in like manner, and 
giving to his apostles, he said : " This is the chalice, 



144 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

the new testament in tny blood which shall be shed for 
you." 

Q. "What did our Lord tell his apostles when this solemn rite 
was over? 

A. He told them to love one another as he himself 
loved them ; he told them also that his hour was 
come, and that before the night had passed, all of them 
should forsake him. 

Q. "What did our Lord say to Peter, when tbat apostle began 
to protest that he would never abandon him ? 

A. He said, "Amen ; I say unto thee, before the 
cock crows thou shalt deny me thrice." 

Q. "Whither did our Lord proceed after leaving the supper- 
room? 

A. To the garden of Olives, where, taking with him 
Peter, James, and John, whom he left at a little dis- 
tance in the garden, he retired to a lonely grotto to 
pray, telling his three chosen apostles that his soul was 
sorrowful even unto death, and asking them to stay 
and watch with him. 

Q. What did our Lord then do ? 

A. Falling prostrate on the ground, he besought his 
eternal Father, saying, u My Father, if it be possible let 
this chalice pass from me ; nevertheless, not as I will, 
but as thou wilt." 

Q. "When our Lord returned to his three apostles, how did he 
find them ? 

A. He found them asleep, whereupon he said to 
Peter, " What, could you not watch one little hour 
with me ?" But they soon forgot this mild reproach, 



. CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 145 

for when he returned a second and a third time, he 
found them still asleep. 

Q. "What extraordinary proof is related in Scripture of our 
Lord's agony in the garden ? 

A. His anguish of soul was so intense, that it pro- 
duced a bloody sweat, which trickled from every pore 
of his sacred body, and ran in large drops to ihe ground, 
when an angel from heaven came to comfort him, be- 
reft as he was of human consolation. 

Q. What did our Lord say to his apostles when, going to 
them at the end of his three hours' prayer, he found them still 
asleep? 

A. He said, "My hour is come : rise, let us go; be- 
hold, he that will betray me is at hand." 

Q. Who appeared at that moment ? 
A. The traitor Judas, with a multitude of armed 
men. 

Q. What did Judas then ? 

A. Advancing to his divine Master, he saluted him 
with a kiss, that being the sign which he had given to 
the Jews. 

Q. What was the touching reproach addressed by our divine 
Lord to his treacherous apostle ? 

A. " Friend, whereto art thou come ? What ! dost 
thou betray the Son of Man with a kiss ?" 

Q. What great proof of his divine power did our Lord give 
before he gave himself up to his enemies ? 

A. He advanced towards the armed men who came 
with Judas, and asked them whom they sought ; they 

13 



146 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

replied, " Jesus of Nazareth ;" whereupon our divine 
Lord said in a loud voice, " I am he ;" and immediately 
they fell backward, confounded by the divine majesty 
of his presence. He then gave himself up. 

Q. How did the disciples act ? 

A. They at first made a show of resistance, and St. 
Peter, drawing a sword, cut off the right ear of a ser- 
vant of the high priest ; but our Lord commanded 
them to desist, saying, " Thinkest thou that if I asked 
my Father he would not send me more than twelve 
legions of angels ;" and, having healed the servant's 
ear, he suffered himself to be led away, when the dis- 
ciples all fled and left him alone in the hands of his 
enemies. 

Q. Where was our Lord then led ? 

A. To the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, where 
the ancients were assembled for the purpose of con- 
demning him. 

Q. Did any of the disciples follow their Master to the house of 
Caiaphas? 

A. Yes, St. Peter followed him afar off, and entering, 
stood at a fire in the hall amongst the officers and ser- 
vants, awaiting the result. 

Q. What occurred while St. Peter was at the fire ? 

A. A servant-maid accused him of having been with 
Jesus of Nazareth ; but St. Peter denied it, saying, " I 
know not the man." The charge was again repeated 
by another person, when St. Peter again denied that 
he knew Jesus of Nazareth. A third time, he was ac- 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 



147 



L 



cused with being a Galilean, and a follower of Jesus, 
when he cursed and swore that he knew not the man. 
At that moment the cock crew, and Peter remem- 
bering the words of his divine Master, went forth, the 
Scripture says, and wept bitterly. 

Q. On what did Caipbas question our divine Lord ? 

A. He questioned him chiefly on his doctrine, and 
produced many false witnesses to prove that he had 
preached doctrines contrary to the law of Moses. Our 
Lord remaining utterly silent, at length the high priest 
said to him, " I adjure thee, by the living God, that 
thou tell us if thou be the Christ, the Son of the living 
God." 

Q. What did our Lord reply ? 

A. lie replied, " Thou hast said it," and he added, 
u Hereafter thou shalt see the Son of Man sitting on 
the right hand of the power of God, and coming in 
. the clouds of heaven." 

Q. Was the high priest convinced by these words ? 

A. No, he rent his garments, saying — " He hath 
blasphemed, what further need have we of witnesses? 
Behold, now you have heard the blasphemy, what 
think you ?" 

Q. What did they all reply ? 

A. They replied with one voice, " He is guilty of 
death." 

Q. To whom was our blessed Lord afterward sent for judg- 
ment, the Jews not having the power of life and death ? 

A. He was sent to Pontius Pilate the Roman gov- 



148 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

ernor, by whom he was sent to Herod, Tetrarch of Gali- 
lee, who was then in Jerusalem, our Lord being by 
birth a Galilean. 

Q. What did Herod ? 

A. Herod, being unable to obtain any sign or mira- 
cle from our Lord, which he had desired to see from 
curiosity, clothed him in the white garment of a foolt 
and sent him back to Pilate. 

Q. How did Pilate act ? 

A. Pilate, seeing that it was for envy tne Jews had 
delivered our Lord, and that he was innocent of any 
crime, was anxious to set him free, but the Jews clamor- 
ing for judgment upon him, Pilate caused him to be 
scourged by his soldiers, then brought him to a balcony 
and showed him to them, bruised and mangled as he 
was, supposing that the sight would move them to 
pity, 

Q. Did the Jews relent at the sight of our blessed Lord in * 
that sad condition ? 

A. No, they cried out the more, "Crucify him! 
crucify him !" and when Pilate asked them why they 
wished to put him to death, whereas he was innocent, 
they cried out, " His blood be on us, and on our child- 
ren ! away with him ! crucify him !" Then Pilate, 
taking water, washed his hands before them, to show 
that he was not guilty of the death of that just man, 
nevertheless delivered him to the Jews to be crucified, 
according to the Roman law. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 149 

Q. What did Judas when ho heard that his divine Master 
was condemned ? 

A. Being filled with remorse, lie brought back the 
thirty pieces of silver saying to the chief priests and 
ancients, " I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. 
But they said, " what is that to us ? look thou to it ;" 
whereupon the wretched Judas, throwing the pieces of 
silver on the ground went and hung himself in despair. 

Q. "What use did the chief priests make of the thirty pieces of 
silver returned by Judas ? 

A. They bought with them a piece of ground called 
" the potter's field," to be a burying place for strangers ; 
on which account it was called Haceldama, or the 
field of blood. 

Q. Whom did the Jew r s compel to assist our Lord in carrying 
his cross ? 

A. Simon the Cyrenean, who happened to be com- 
ing into the city at the time. 

Q. "Who were crucified with our Lord ? 
A. Two thieves, who were placed one on either side, 
in order to make his death more ignominious. 

Q. "What inscription was placed over the cross by Pilate's 
orders ? 

A. " Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews." It was 
written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, so that all might 
read. 

Q. How long did our Lord hang on the cross before he 
expired ? 

A. He hung on the cross three hours, during which 

13* 



150 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

time his blessed Mother, his beloved disciple St. John, 
and Mary Magdalen, remained with him, witnessing his 
sufferings, and listening to the cruel mockery and the 
impious blasphemy of the infuriate mob who sur- 
rounded the cross. 

Q. "What remarkable words were uttered by our blessed Lord 
on the cross ? 

A. First, a prayer for his enemies ; " Father, forgive 
them, for they know not what they do." Secondly, 
a recommendation of his mother to St. John, and of 
St. John to his mother — to St. John, " Behold thy 
mother," to the Blessed Virgin — " Behold thy son." 

Q. What other remarkable words did he speak ? 

A. '"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" 
and to one of the thieves crucified with him who became 
penitent, he said : " This day thou shalt be with me in 
paradise !" at length, when his sacred blood was all 
spent, and nature quite exhausted, he bowed his divine 
head, saying, It is consummated" and expired. 

Q. On what day does the Church commemorate the death of 
our divine Lord ? 

A. On Good Friday, when all the churches are 
draped in mourning, and the faithful called together 
to meditate on the Death and Passion of the Son of 
God. 

Q. What strange phenomena occurred at the death of our 
Saviour ? 

A. There was darkness over the earth for three 
hours ; the earth trembled, rocks were rent, and many 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 151 

/ 

of the dead arose and were seen walking in the streets 
of Jerusalem, and at the moment when our divine Lord 
expired, the veil of the temple was rent from top to 
bottom, denoting that the old law was now at an end. 

Q. What did the Roman centurion and his soldiers, who were 
on guard around the cross say, on witnessing these prodigies? 

A. They struck their breasts and said, " Indeed this 
was the Son of God." 

Q. Who took charge of our Lord's burial ? 

A. Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, who em- 
balmed our Lord's sacred body and wrapping it in fine 
linen, laid it in a new sepulchre hewn out of a rock, 
wherein no man had yet lain. 

Q. What request did the chief priests and the Pharisees make 
to Pilate ? 

A. To have our Lord's sepulchre guarded till the 
third day, lest the disciples should steal the body, and 
give out that their Master had arisen, according to his 
own prediction. 

Q. Did Pilate grant this request ? 

A. He did, and giving them a guard, told them — 
u Go, guard it as you know." They went then and 
sealed the great stone which closed the mouth of the 
sepulchre. 

Q. What happened next morning at dawn of day ? 

A. Our divine Lord arose gloriously from the sepul- 
chre, and came forth, to the great terror of the guards 
set to watch, who through fear, became as dead men. 



152 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. Who came first to the sepulchre after the resurrection ? 
A. Some holy women, amongst whom was Mary 
Magdalen, and Mary, the mother of James. 

Q. What did they behold on reaching the sepulchre ? 

A. The great stone was rolled back from the mouth 
of the sepulchre, and on it sat an angel, his raiment as 
snow, and his countenance as lightning. 

Q. What did the angel say to the women ? 

A. " Fear not, for I know that ye seek Jesus, who 
was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he 
said. Come and see the place where the Lord was 
laid ; and going quickly, tell ye his disciples that he is 
risen, and will go before you into Galilee." 

Q. How did the guards act when they recovered from their 
first terror ? 

A. They fled to Jerusalem, and told the chief priests 
all that had happened, when money was given them to 
say that the disciples of Jesus had stolen his body 
while they slept. 

Q. To whom did our divine Lord first appear ? 

A. To St. Mary Magdalen, who had remained weep- 
ing at the sepulchre after St. Peter and St. John had 
gone thence. 

Q. What did our Lord say to Mary Magdalen when in her 
joy she would have embraced his feet ? 

A. He said, " Do not touch me, for I am not as- 
cended to my Father." He charged her then to go 
tell the disciples that he had arisen, and would soon 
ascend to his Father and theirs. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 153 

Q. Did the disciples believe what Mary Magdalen and the 
others told them ? 

A. No, they at first, refused to believe them, suppos- 
ing they had only imagined that they saw the things 
they related. 

Q. To whom did our Lord next appear on the day of his re- 
surrection ? 

A. To two of his disciples, on the way to Emmaus ; 
; with them he went to their lodgings, although they at 
first knew him not ; but having expounded to them all 
the Scriptures, they knew him, the Scripture says, in 
j the breaking of bread. That same evening, he ap- 
peared to others of his disciples, whilst they listened to 
the story of the two from Emmaus. 

Q. "What happened on the following Sunday, which we now 
call Low Sunday ? 

A. On that day the disciples being assembled, and 
with them St. Thomas Diclymus, one of the apostles, 
who having been absent on the former occasion, re- 
fused to believe that our Lord had appeared to them. 
He suddenly stood in their midst, saying, u Peace be 
to you," and made St. Thomas feel the wounds in his 
hands and in his side, in order to convince his in- 
credulity. 

Q. When did our Lord again appear to his disciples ? 

A. When they were fishing on the sea of Galilee, 
where they had toiled all night, and taken nothing; 
but he, calling to them from the shore to let down 
their net on the right side, they did so, and imme- 
diately it was filled. They then said to each other, 



154 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

" It is the Lord ;" and St. Peter, throwing himself into 
the sea, swam towards him, followed by the other dis- 
ciples, when our Lord partook of the dinner which they 
prepared. 

Q. What great commission did our Lord give to St. Peter 
on that occasion ? 

A. To feed his lambs, and his sheep, meaning that 
he was to nourish the people and pastors of the Church 
with sound doctrine. 

Q. What did our Lord say to his eleven remaining apostles, 
when they met him on the Mount by his appointment ? 

A. He said, " All power is given to me in heaven 
and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe 
all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and be- 
hold, I am with you all days, eveu to the consumma- 
tion of the world." 

Q. On what day does the Church commemorate the resurrec- 
tion of our Lord ? 

A. On Easter Sunday. 

Q. How long did our Lord remain on earth after his resurrec- 
tion? 

A. Forty days, during which time he was employed 
instructing his apostles, and preparing them for their 
great mission. At the end of those forty days, he as- 
cended into heaven from the top of Mount Olivet, in 
presence of his blessed mother, his apostles, and dis- 
ciples. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 155 

Q. What part of the Bible contains the history of the first 
thirty years after our Lord's ascension ? 
A. The Acts of the Apostles. 

Q. At what time did St. Matthew, the first of the Evangelists, 
write his Gospel ? 

A. About six or eight years after our Lord's ascen- 
sion. 

Q. When did St. Mark write the Gospel which bears his 
name? 

A. About ten years after our Lord's ascension. 

Q. When did St. Luke write his Gospel ? 

A. About twenty years after the ascension of our 
divine Lord. St. Luke also wrote the Acts of the 
Apostles, about ten years later than his Gospel. 

Q. When did St. John write his Gospel ? 
A. About sixty-three years after our Lord's ascen- 
sion. 

Q. What was the first important act of the apostles after our 
Lord's ascension ? 

A. They proceeded to elect a successor for the trai- 
tor Judas, in order to fill up the vacancy in what is 
called the College of the Apostles, that is to say, the 
twelve originally appointed by our Lord. Guided by 
divine inspiration, their choice fell on Matthias. 

Q. When did the Holy Ghost descend on the apostles, as our 
Lord had promised that he should ? 

A. Ten days after the ascension of our Lord, and 
fifty days after his resurrection. 

Q. Can you describe the descent of the Holy Ghost ? 

A. The Blessed Virgin and the apostles were all assem- 



156 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

bled in an upper r6om, awaiting the pr miscd event, 
when suddenly a sound was heard as of a mighty wind 
coming, and there was seen parted tongues as of fire, 
descending on the heads of the apostles, who were all 
filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak divers 
tongues, which they had never before spoken. 

Q. What did the people of various countries assembled in 
Jerusalem say, when they heard the apostles speaking their 
several languages ? 

A. They asked how it came that these men, being 
Jews and Galileans, spoke to them so that each heard 
the language of his own country. 

Q. Which of the apostles preached first to the multitudes in 
explanation of this prodigy ? 

A. St. Peter, whose preaching, aided by the Holy 
Ghost, was so effective that some three thousand were 
converted and baptized, and from that we may date 
the foundation of the Church. 

Q. What kind of life did the early Christians lead ? 

A. They led a life of great piety and simplicity ; 
they had all things in common ; those who were 
wealthy disposing of their goods and possessions for 
the benefit of all, and the apostles distributed amongst 
them what the necessities of each required, 

Q. Did the apostles confirm their preaching by miracles, as our 
Lord had foretold ? 

A. Yes ; they performed many and great miracles, 
equal, indeed, to those wrought by their divine Master, 
while on earth. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 157 

Q. How did the priests and the Sadducees act, when they 
found the apostles preaching to the people ? 

A. They put them in prison for a night, and next 
clay brought them before the Council, in which the 
high priest presided. 

Q. "Which of the apostles answered for the others before the 
Council ? 

A. St. Peter, who said, amongst other things, speak- 
ing of the name of our blessed Lord, "For there is no 
other name under heaven given to men whereby we 
must be saved." % 

Q. How did the high priest and the Council act on hearing 
St Peter's defence of the apostles ? 

A. They threatened them with the severest punish- 
ment, if they preached again such doctrines to the peo- 
ple ; but they did not dare, at that time, to inflict cor- 
poral punishment upon them, for fear of the people. 
It was not long, however, until St. Peter was again ar- 
rested, and scourged, for preaching Christ crucified. 

Q. "Who were the deacons ? 

A. They were holy men, appointed by the apostles 
to assist them in their arduous labors, especially in the 
distribution of alms, and the administration of bap- 
tism. 

Q. "Who were the first deacons ? 

A. Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nrcanor, Timon, 
Parmenas, and Nicholas, seven in all. 

Q. "Who was the first martyr ? 

A. Stephen, the first of the deacons, a man of great 



158 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

holiness of life, and wonderfully endowed with the gift 
of miracles. 

Q. Why did the Jews put St. Stephen to death? 

A. Because, when they dragged him before the 
Council, he steadfastly maintained the divinity of 
Christ. Enraged by his courage and fortitude, they 
took him out of the city and stoned him to death. 

Q. What remarkable circumstance occurred at the martyrdom 
of St. Stephen? 

A. Looking up to heaven, the holy deacon exclaimed, 
11 1 see the heavens opened, and the Soa of Man stand- 
ing on the right hand of his Father." Then falling on 
his knees, he exclaimed, "Lord, lay not this sin to 
their charge," and expired. 

Q. To whom did the Jews give St. Stephen's outer garments 
to hold while they stoned him ? 

A. To a young man named Saul, a native of Tarsus, 
then a furious persecutor of the Christians, but after- 
wards a zealous apostle of Christ. 

Q. What was the effect of St. Stephen's martyrdom ? 

A. The faithful fled in terror from Jerusalem to all 
the neighboring provinces, thus spreading the knowl- 
edge of the truth which is in Christ. 

Q. Whither did St. Philip, the second of the deacons, go ? 

A. He went to Samaria, where he converted great 
numbers to the faith, amongst others the treasurer of 
Candace, queen of Ethiopia. 

Q. How was Saul employed during this time ? 

A. He was persecuting the infant Church to the 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 159 

utmost of his power ; and not content with d "so in 
and around Jerusalem, he asked letters of igh 

priest to the synagogues in Damascus, so that he might 
go thither in quest of any Christians who might be in 
that city, in order to bring them bound to Jerusalem. 

Q. "What oocurred whilst Saul was on h^ j to Damn 
A. A bright light suddenly shone around him, so 
dazzling that it struck him with blindness, ad Jje heard 
a voice calling, " Saul, Saul, why persecutest , >u mef 
Amazed and terrified, he fell prostrate on the gi :nd, 
and asked, " Who art thou, Lord ?" When the an- 
swer was given him, "I am Jesus, whom thou perh 
cutest." Saul then asked, " Lord, what wilt thou have 
me do ?" Arise, and go into the city," said our Lord, 
"and there it shall be told thee what thou must do." 

Q. What did Saul then do ? 

A. Being unable to see, he was led by his compa- 
nions to Damascus, where he remained three days and 
three nights without food. Being restored to sight by 
a holy man named Ananias, who also instructed and 
baptized him, Paul, as he was thenceforward called^ 
became as zealous a Christian as he had before been a. 
Jew, and preached Christianity in the synagogues. 

Q. Were the Jews of Damascus enraged at Saul's conver- 
sion? 

A. Yes ; they sought to kill him, but the faithful 
succeeded in concealing him from their fury, and let 
him down from the town wall by night in a basket, so. 
that he escaped, and returned to Jerusalem. 



160 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Q. How was St. Paul received by the apostles in Jerusalem ? 

A. At first they shunned him, doubting the sincerity 
of his conversion, and fearing that he meant to betray 
them ; but Barnabas having introduced him to them, 
and related the manner of his conversion, they joyfully 
received him, and he appeared openly with them, 
preaching the faith to Jews and to Gentiles.*- 

Q. What is meant by the word Gentiles ? 

A. All the nations of the earth except the Jews, 
-ho alone worshipped the true God. 

Q. "Who was the first G-entile converted to the faith ? 

A. Cornelius, a Roman centurion, dwelling in 

Q. By whom was Cornelius converted ? 
i. By St. Peter, who was conducted to him in a 
miraculous manner. 

Q. What befel St. James, brother of St. John? 
A. He was beheaded by order of Herod. 

Q. Why did Herod then imprison St. Peter ? 
A. To please the Jews, by whom that apostla was 
recognized as the head of the new religion. 

Q. How was St. Peter delivered from prison ? 

A. He was delivered by an angel, who, awaking 
him, where he lay sleeping in the midst of his guards, 
desired him to arise and follow him. He did so, sup- 
posing that it was only a dream, till on reaching the 
city gate, it opened of itself, and the angel disappeared. 
Then St. Peter knew that the Lord had delivered him 
from the hands of Herod. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 161 

Q. What was the end of Herod ? 

A. He was eaten alive by worms. A terrible in- 
stance of the wrath of God against the impious sinner. 

Q. How was St. Paul employed during this time ? 

A. Being obliged to fly from Jerusalem, the breth- 
ren conveyed him safely to Tarsus, his native city, 
whence, at the request of St. Barnabas, lie went with 
him to Antioch, where they converted such multitudes 
of people that it was there the disciples of the new re- 
ligion were first called Christians. 

Q. "Where else did SS. Paul and Barnabas go ? 

A. To the island of Cyprus, where the Roman pro- 
consul embraced the faith, in consequence of a miracle 
wrought by St. Paul on a magician of his household, 
named Elymas, whom he struck with blindness for his 
obstinate incredulity. 

Q. What miracle did St. Paul perform at Lystra? 
A. He cured a man who had been a cripple from 
his birth. 

Q. How were the heathen inhabitants of the place affected by 
this great miracle ? 

A. They thought that their gods had come on earth 
in human form, and would have offered sacrifice to St. 
Paul and St. Barnabas had not the two apostles pre- 
vented them from doing so, by assuring them that they 
were mortals like themselves, who had come amongst 
them to announce the true God. 

Q. How did these same people of Lystra treat St. Paul a few 
days after ? 

A. Being excited against him by the malice of the 



162 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Jews, they stoned him, till they believed him dead, but 
when they left him he recovered, and went soon after 
with St. Barnabas, to preach the gospel in other 
places. 

Q. "Where, and on what occasion, was the first council held ? 

A. It was held in Jerusalem, and was convened by 
the apostles on account of a dispute raised by the 
Jewish converts, who would insist on having the Gen- 
tile converts subjected to the observance of the Mosaic, 
as well as the Christian law. This first general coun- 
cil, called the Council of Jerusalem, was held in the 
year of Our Lord 51. 

Q. To what countries were St. Paul's apostolic labors princi- 
pally confined? 

A. To certain parts of Greece and of Asia Minor, 
through which countries, he traveled continually, from 
province to province, and from island to island, where- 
ever the wants of the infant Church most urgently re- 
quired his presence. Every where his life was in dan- 
ger from the fury of the Jews. 

Q. For what were Paul and his companion Silas, thrown into 
prison at Philippi ? 

A. For having cast an evil spirit out of a young 
woman who having been employed by magicians as a 
pythoness, or fortune-teller, was useless to them after 
her exorcism, and they, therefore, accused Paul and 
Silas to the magistrates, who condemned them to be 
scourged and imprisoned. 

Q. How were St. Paul and his companion delivered ? 

A. At midnight, while they were praying in their 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 163 

prison, an earthquake shook the walls, and threw the 
doors open, so that they escaped for that time the fury 
of their persecutors. 

Q. What celebrated personage was converted by St. Paul at 
Athens ? 

A. Denis, or Dionysius, called the Areopagite. 

Q. What remarkable inscription did St. Paul find on one of 
the pagan altars of Athens ? 

A. On one of them he found inscribed, " To the un- 
known God," from which he took occasion to explain 
to them, standing in the midst of the Acropolis, their 
chief temple, that this God to them unknown was the 
one true God, the great creator of heaven and earth. 

Q. What occurred on St. Paul's return to Jerusalem ? 

A. In the midst of the great rejoicings amongst the 
Christians, for his safe return, he was seized by the 
Jews, who dragged him out of the temple, and would 
have killed him but for the Eoman tribune who 
rescued him with much difficulty, but kept him a 
prisoner. 

Q. Did the Jews still continue their persecution of St. Paul ? 

A. They did, and on many occasions he came near 
being slain by their malice. On one occasion they 
conspired to murder him in prison, but the conspiracy 
being discovered in time, the holy apostle was sent un- 
der a strong guard to Felix, the Roman governor at 
Cesarea, where he was kept two years in prison. 

Q. What did St. Paul on finding that the Jews were intrigu- 



164 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

ing to have him sent to Jerusalem, with intent to kill him on 
the way ? 

A. He appealed to Cesar, that is to say, the Em- 
peror of Rome. 

Q. What then befel St. Paul ? 

A. He was sent with some other prisoners to Rome, 
but on the way thither, the ship in which they had 
sailed, was wrecked on the coast of Malta. The ship 
was broken to pieces but for the sake of bis faithful 
apostle, St. Paul, the Lord preserved the lives of all 
on board. 

Q. Did St. Paul perform any miracles during his three 
months' stay in Malta ? 

A. Yes, he cured the father of his host, Publius, who 
was ill of fever, after which all the sick were brought 
to him and he cured them. 

Q. Whither did St. Paul go after leaving Malta ? 

A. He w T ent to Rome, where though kept a prisoner 
for two years, he was treated with kindness and cour- 
tesy, and permitted to preach, and instruct all who 
came to him. 

Q. How many epistles are contained in the New Testa- 
ment? 

A. Twenty-one ; fourteen of which were written by 
St. Paul ; one by St. James ; two by St. Peter ; three 
by St. John ; and one by St. Jude. 

Q. Which were the epistles written by St. Paul ? 
A. One to the Romans ; two to the Corinthians ; 
one to the Galatians ; one to the Ephesians ; one to 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 165 

the Philippians ; one to the Colossians ; two to the 
Thessalonians ; two to Timothy ; one to Titus ; one to 
Philemon ; and one to^the Hebrews. 

Q. "Who were Timothy, Titus, and Philemon ? 

A. Timothy was bishop of Ephesus, Titus, bishop of 
Crete, and Philemon, a noble citizen of Colossia. 

Q. Where and when did St. Paul write his epistle to the 
Eomans ? 

A. At Corinth, about twenty-four years after our 
Lord's ascension, when he was preparing to go to Jeru- 
salem with charitable contributions from the Christians 
in Greece to their suffering brethren in Judea. 

Q. "When did St. Paul write his epistles to the Corinthians ? 
A. About the same year in which he wrote his epis- 
tle to the Romans. 

Q. Where and when did St Paul write his epistle to the 
Galatians ? 

A. He wrote it in Ephesus, about twenty- three years 
after our Lord's ascension. 

Q. "When and where did St. Paul write his epistle to the 
Ephesians? 

A. About twenty-nine years after our Lord's ascen- 
sion, whilst he was a .prisoner in Rome. About the 
same time he wrote his epistle to the Philippians, and 
also that to the Colossians. 

Q. When did St. Paul write his epistles to the Thessalonians ? 

A. About nineteen years after our Lord's ascension, 

so that they were the earliest in point of time. He 



166 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

wrote them on occasion of a persecution raised in Thes- 
salonica by the unbelieving Jews. 

Q. When did St. Paul write his epistles to Timothy and 
Titus ? 

A. About thirty-three years after our Lord's ascen- 
sion ; the second epistle to Timothy appears to have 
been written during St. Paul's imprisonment in Rome. 

Q. When did he write his epistle to the Hebrews, or con- 
verted Jews ? 

A. About twenty-nine years after our Lord's ascen- 
sion. 

Q. When did St. James write his epistle, styled Catholic, or 
universal, on account of its being addressed to all the faithful in 
general ? 

A. About twenty-eight years after our Lord's ascen- 
sion, a little before he suffered martyrdom. 

Q. Which St. James wrote the epistle ? 

A. He that was called St. James the Less, a cousin 
of our Lord according to the flesh, and first bishop of 
Jerusalem. 

Q. When did St. Peter write his first epistle, and to whom ? 

A. He wrote it in Rome about fifteen years after 
our Lord's ascension, to the faithful dispersed through 
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 

Q. When did St. Peter write his second epistle ? 
A. About thirty-five years after our Lord's ascen* 
sion, and a little before his martyrdom. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 167 

Q. When and to whom did St. John write his first epistle ? 
A. About sixty-six years after our Lord's ascension, 
to all the faithful, without exception. 

Q. To whom did St. John write his second and third 
epistles ? 

A. The second he wrote to a pious lady named Electa^ 
and her family, whom he instructs, warning them to 
avoid all communication with the teachers of false doc- 
trines. The third, St. John wrote to a Christian named 
Gaius. 

Q. When and to whom did St. Jude write his epistle ? 

A. The epistle of St. Jude appears to have been 
written when all the other apostles except St. John 
were dead. It was addressed to the faithful in general. 

Q. When did St. John write the Apocalypse, or Book of 
Kevelations ? 

A. About sixty-four years after our Lord's ascen- 
sion, while the holy apostle, then far advanced in years, 
was exiled by order of the Roman emperor Domitian, 
to the island of Patmos. 

Q. How did St. Peter end his life? 

A. After preaching the Gospel in Italy, and other 
provinces of the West, he went to Rome, where he 
met St. Paul, and after laboring with him to extend 
and establish the faith in that city, he was crucified in 
the persecution raised by the wicked Emperor Nero. 

Q. What have you to remark of St. Peter's glorious martyr- 
dom? 

A. Being condemned to die on the cross, through a 



168 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

spirit of compunction and humility, lie made it his re- 
quest that he should be crucified with his head down- 
wards, which was done accordingly, and such was the 
death cheerfully suffered by the Prince of the Apostles, 
the first Vicar of Christ on earth. 

Q. How and when did St. Paul die ? 

A. St. Paul gained the crown of martyrdom about 
the same time as his brother apostle, and fellow-laborer, 
St. Peter, but he being a Roman citizen, might not be 
crucified, and was, therefore, beheaded. 

Q. How did St. Andrew, brother of St. Peter, end his life ? 

A. He was crucified for the faith at Achaia in 
Greece, after preaching the Gospel in Scythia, and 
various countries of Greece. 

Q. "What have you to relate of St. James, called the Major, 
or Great ? 

A. St. James the Major, who was a brother of St. 
John the Evangelist, is supposed after the martyrdom 
of St. Stephen, to have preached to the Jews dispersed 
amongst the Gentiles. He also preached the Gospel 
in Spain, of which country he is considered the apostle. 
He returned to Jerusalem, after ten years apostolic 
labor, and was beheaded by order of king Herod 
Agrippa. St. James was the first of the apostles who 
suffered martyrdom. 

Q. "What have you to relate of St. John, the Evangelist ? 
A. , St. John did not die a martyr to the faith like 
30 many others of the apostles, although he was once 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 169 

thrown into a caldron of boiling oil by order of the 
Emperor Domitian, but miraculously escaped unhurt, 

Q. "What became of him afterwards ? 

A. He was banished to the island of Patmos, where 
he wrote his Revelations, and returning thence after a 
year of exile found that St. Timothy, bishop of Ephesus 
had suffered martyrdom a little before ; St. John then 
took charge of the Church of Ephesus, and died bishop 
of that city, at a very advanced age. 

Q. What was the end of St. Philip ? 

A. After the descent of the Holy Ghost, St. Philip 
went to Phrygia, where he preached the Gospel, and 
died at an advanced age, at Hieropolis, in that 
country. 

Q. What have you to tell of St. Bartholomew ? 

A. St. Bartholomew is supposed to have been iden- 
tical with Nathaniel, a doctor of the law, who was 
brought to Christ by St. Philip, and chosen as an apos- 
tle by our Lord. St. Bartholomew preached the Gos- 
pel in the East, and especially in India. His apostolic 
labors were crowned by the grace of martyrdom, 
whilst preaching to some obstinate pagans in Armenia. 
Some historians say that St. Bartholomew was cruci- 
fied, others that he was flayed alive. 

Q. In what countries did St. Thomas preach the Gospel ? 

A. There was none of the apostles to whom a wider 
field of apostolic labor was given than to St. Thomas, 
surnamed Didymus. He first preached the Gospel in 



170 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

Parthia, then in other parts of the East, in Media, 
Persia, and, it is said, also in India and Ethiopia. 

Q. What was the manner of this apostle's death ? 

A. He suffered martyrdom, at Meliapor, on the Cor- 
omandel coast, where his body was found pierced with 
lances. 

Q. What was the end of St Mathew, the Apostle and 
Evangelist? 

A. St. Mathew, is said to have suffered martyrdom 
in Parthia, after having preached the Gospel in Judea, 
and afterwards in various countries of the East. 

Q. "What have you to relate of St. James, called the Less, 
first bishop of Jerusalem ? 

A. St. James the Less was the sister's son of the 
Blessed Virgin. He was reverenced even by the Jews 
for the austere sanctity of his life, and for a long term 
of years governed the faithful of Jerusalem, though 
continually menaced with persecution. At length 
Ananias the high priest, took him to the top of a high 
tower, threatening him with death if he did not preach 
against the religion of Christ to the multitude assem- 
bled below. 

Q. What did St. James do? 

A. He gladly took the opportunity of preaching 
Christ crucified to the people, with his usual zeal and 
fervor, and was, therefore, cast from the top of the 
tower ; he was not entirely killed by the fall, and rais- 
ing himself on his knees, began to supplicate the Lord 



CATECHISM OP SACRED HISTORY. 171 

for mercy on his persecutors, when the Jews stoned 
him to death. 

Q. Who was St. Jude, surnamed Thaddeus, and what was his 
end? 

A. St. Jude was the brother of St. James the Less, 
and like him, therefore, a nephew of our blessed Lady. 
He preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Syria, and 
Idumea. St. Jude suffered martyrdom in Armenia, 
though some historians say, in Persia. He is said to 
have been shot to death with arrows, some say whilst 
fastened to a cross. 

Q. "What is related of St. Simon, surnamed Zelotes, or the 
Zealot, on account of his great zeal ? 

A. He is said to have preached the faith in Egypt, 
and other countries of Africa, and subsequently in tho 
East, where he is supposed to have died on a cross, in 
Suanir, a city of Persia. 

Q. What was the life and death of the apostle St. Mathias, 
the successor of Judas Iscariot ? 

A. St. Mathias was remarkable for his mortified and 
austere life. He preached the faith in Cappadocia, and 
along the shores of the Caspian Sea, and received the 
crown of martyrdom at Colchis. 

Q. What is related of St. Mark, the Evangelist ? 

A. St. Mark was a disciple of St. Peter, by whom he 
was appointed to the see of Alexandria, in Egypt, 
where he made numerous converts, but had to fly on 
two occasions from the fury of the pagans. On the 
pagan feast of the Egyptian idol Serapis, they dragged 



172 CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 

the holy bishop and Evangelist from the altar where 
he had been offering up the Holy Sacrifice, and cast 
him into prison. 

Q. What was the manner of St. Mark's death ? 

A. On the following day, his persecutors dragged 
him along the streets till his blood and fragments of 
his mangled flesh strewed the way ; yet in the midst 
of his torments he never ceased praising and thanking 
God, and so gave up his blessed spirit. 

Q. "Who was St. Luke, the Evangelist? 

A. St. Luke was a native of Antioch, was well in- 
structed in the learning of those times, and had been a 
physician by profession. He also excelled in painting, 
and is said to have painted portraits of our Lord and 
his blessed Mother. St. Luke accompanied St. Paul 
in many of his journeys and visitations, and was much 
beloved by that great apostle. 

Q. How and when did St. Luke die ? 

A. He died at an advanced age, according to some 
historians peacefully and naturally, but others say 
that he suffered martyrdom. It is certain, that what- 
ever might have been the manner of his death, St. 
Luke endured many sufferings for the faith. 

Q. What have you to observe of the Apostles and Evan- 
gelists generally ? 

A. That they all suffered persecution for the faith 
and that most of them, like their divine Master, died 
ignominiously and in torment. 



CATECHISM OF SACRED HISTORY. 173 

Q. What do you infer fron#that ? 

A. That as the Church was founded in blood, even 
the blood of Christ and his apostles, and as persecution 
was the lot of her divine Founder and his first apostles, 
so has it been ever since the lot of the Church he 
founded on the rock of Peter ; that Church against 
which he promised that the gates of hell should never 
prevail, and that he himself would be with her all 
days, even to the consummation of the world. 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF SACRED HISTORY, 



FIRST EPOCH. 

B.C. 

Creation of the World 4004 

Death of Abel 3816 

Adam died 3074 

Enoch taken up to Heaven 301 7 

Seth died . 2962 

Enos died ! 2864 

Mathusalem died 2348 

SECOND EPOCH. 

Universal Deluge 2348 

Building of the Tower of Babel 2247 

Death of JSToah 1998 

Birth of Abraham 1996 

THIRD EPOCH. 

Call of Abraham 1921 

Sodom destroyed 1897 

Birth of Isaac 1896 

Birth of Jacob 1836 

Joseph sold by his Brethren 1729 

Jacob goes to Egypt 1706 

Birth of Moses 1571 

FOURTH EPOCH. 

Deliverance of the Jews from Egypt 1491 

The Law given on Mount Sinai 1491 



176 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OP 

B.C. 

Josue leads the Israelites across the Jordan 1451 

Gideon appointed Judge 1245 

Jephta judge. 1187 

Death of Samson . 1117 

Death of Heli 1116 

Samuel appointed Judge 1116 

Saul made King 10&5~ 

David " 1054 

Solomon " 1015 

FIFTH EPOCH. 

Dedication of Solomon's Temple 1005 

Roboam King 980 

Revolt of the Ten Tribes under Jeroboam 980 

B.C. 

Abia, King of Juda 963 

Asa, " " 960 Nadab, king of Israel 959 

Baasa, " " 958 

Ela^ " " 935 

Zamri, " " 935 

Amri, " « 934 

Josaphat, M " 919 Achab, " " 923 

Ochosias, " " 901 

Joram, « " 896 Joram " M 90O 
Ochosias, " a 890 

Athalia, Queen of Juda 889 Jehu, u " 889 

Joas, King of Juda 883 Joachas, " M 851 

Amazias, " " 845 Joas, " " 848 

Interregnum from. . , . . . 816 Jeroboam IL, " " 831 

Osias, King of Juda 806 Zacharias, " " 769 

Sellum, " " 768 

Manahem, " " 763 I 

Phaceia, " " ?57 



SACRED HISTORY. 177 

B. C. B. C. 

Joatham, King of Juda 754 Phacee, " " 755 

Achaz, " " 739 Osee, " " 727 

Downfall of the Kingdom 

Echezias, ■ " 724 of Israel 718 

Manasses reigned in Juda 699 

Amon . 641 

Josias 640 

Joachas 610 

Joachim 608 

Babylonian Captivity 608 

Jechonias, King of Juda 599 

Sedecias, " " 598 

End of the Kingdom of Juda 587 

End of the Babylonian Captivity 533 

Dedication of the Second Temple 516 

Commencement of the Prophet Daniel's seventy weeks. . . 454 

Kebuilding of the Walls of Jerusalem 442 

Entrance of Alexander the Great into Jerusalem 322 

Persecution at Alexandria 220 

Heliodorus attempts to rob the Temple . 176 

The Jews persecuted by Antiochus 170 

Mathathias takes up arms 168 

Judas Machabeus, Leader of the Jews 166 

Jonathan 161 

Simon 144 

John Hyrcanus 135 

Aristobulus I. king 107 

Alexander Janneus . . . . c 106 

Alexander 79 

Hyrcanus II TO 

Aristobulus II. usurped the Crown 63 

Hyrcanus II. restored 67 

Herod, king 40 

Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, year of the World 4004 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF SACRED HISTORY. 178 

PROPHETS AND OTHER REMARKABLE PERSONS. 

B.O. 

Job lived 1G20 

Aaron " 1490 

Elias " 918 

Eliseus " 885 

Joiada, the High Priest, lived 883 

Jonas, " " " 825 

Judith, " " M 810 

Isaias, " " " 715 

Tobias, " " " 690 

Jeremias, " u " 629 

Daniel, " tl " 555 

Zorobabel, " " " 536 

Aggeus, " " " 519 

Esther, " " " 460 

Esdras, « " " 454 

Nehemias, " " « 442 

Malachias, " " u 440 

Jaddus, « " " 332 

Onias, " u " 200 

Eleazer, " « " 163 



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